NYS Music 20​13

Tag: First Niagara Center

  • Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Dazzle at Buffalo’s First Niagara Center

    Macklemore & Ryan Lewis hit the stage in Buffalo’s First Niagara Center with a burst of energy that burned bright throughout their nearly two hour performance.  Opening with, “Ten Thousand Miles”, they immediately ruled the stage with unbound force and excitement.  Complete with a violinist, cellist, horn, dancers and pyrotechnics, Macklemore and Lewis came prepared to blow the crowd away.

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    Playing many favorites from their newest album, The Heist kept the fans on their feet and singing along to hits such as, “Thrift Shop” and other favorites “Make the Money” and “White Walls”.  Performing to a crowd of about 5000, Macklemore, (Ben Haggerty), took a moment to reflect on their last visit to Buffalo a few short years ago where he remarked “there were about 20 people in the crowd”.

    Haggerty perfectly balanced the explosive performance with moments that felt intimate and warm.  Between powerful songs that had him jumping and throwing fists into the air, he softened when speaking of lessons learned when he struggled with addiction, which he said “Starting Over” was written about.  He also talked about the importance of accepting people as they are, before singing the hit song penned in support of gay rights, “Same Love”.  Haggerty’s keen ability to combine the liveliness of his rap songs with his soft spirit made the night’s performance dynamic and heartfelt.

    Macklemore & Lewis have come a long way, but haven’t forgotten where they came from.  Before closing with a reprise of  “Can’t Hold Us”, Haggerty expressed sincere gratitude to the audience for their support of independent artists remarking, “Without you, there is no us.”

    Setlist:  Ten Thousand Hours, Crew Cuts, Life is Cinema, Thrift Shop, Otherside (A Capella), Starting Over, Make the Money, Freestyle, Same Love (with Mary Lambert & Ed Sheeran), Can’t Hold Us, White Walls, Wing$

    Encore:  And We Danced, Irish Celebration, Can’t Hold Us (reprise)

  • Pearl Jam takes Buffalo to church

    Buffalo’s First Niagara Center was buzzing on October 12th for what was a rare opportunity to experience the amazing energy that is Pearl Jam.

    Fans were eager, despite a line of 20,000 and no opening band, they all filled their seats by the time the lights went down. The stage was artistically constructed to transform the arena venue to a more intimate atmosphere. The band came on stage under low lighting, and prepared their respective places. Eddie Vedder, on the other hand, intentionally looked around to take in the moment.  It was as if he wanted to see each of the thousands of faces in the arena. Was he giving the crowd a moment to enjoy the scene before the performance began? Or, was he soaking up the crowd’s love?  Either way, it was a pleasure to see a rock star appreciate the experience.

    As a Gen-X’er who “struck out on my own” when “Alive” was the rage, I gotta say I was a bit apprehensive about the new stuff. I mean, what could possibly top Ten, Vs. and Vitalogy? Then, the show opened with “Pendulum”, from their newest album, Lightning Bolt (released October 15th).Well, hearing the new stuff live for the first time at this show – I’m humbled to say, I’m sold.

    The performance contained thirty songs, including two live debuts from the newest release; “My Father’s Son” and “Swallowed Whole”.  The entire performance was a well-balanced compilation of PJ history, ranging from 1992 to 2013. All songs portrayed and was played with the same energy — many offering a painful reminder that bad parenting has an incredible effect. Speaking of parenting, Vedder shared a bittersweet, heartbreak moment when he announced that his youngest daughter had scored her first soccer goal that day. “I hated to miss that,” he said. “But, you all make it worth it.” It was a powerful reminder that the people on stage, in order to entertain us, make heartbreaking sacrifices.

    Pearl Jam still infects the audience with the same passion and energy they had in the ‘90s only with a more musically, and emotionally, mature sound. Vedder continues to show unabashed, raw emotion in his voice, which seems to have been the consistent draw and dominates the newest music.  Those at First Niagara all seemed to love it, and it reminded me, too, of why I fell in love with them twenty years ago.

    Things I loved:

    1. The lighting: The light show was designed to show off the crowd regularly. The band WANTED to see all 20,000 of us — often. Their stage lighting was a virtual work of art, while also focusing on one as well. Rising and falling “lamps,” colored to impress a given mood, drew attention alternatively to the musicians and the awesome sculpture hanging over the band.

    2. The sound:  What Pearl Jam is able to achieve with their music is what people seek from church. When twenty thousand people are — together — singing the same words, with the same conviction, at the same time – it’s an amazingly unifying experience.

    3. The set list: Two-thirds of my song wish list was satisfied. I wanted “Rats”, “Rearview Mirror”, and “Breath”. I got the first two (which NEVER happens), and “State of Love & Trust” replaced my need for Breath. But, honestly, with a set list like this (below), who could be dissatisfied? Now that it’s over and done with the song I am most glad I heard was “I Got ID (SHIT)”, which was accompanied by a very short explanation, that involved Neil Young.

    My Downsides:

    1. Eddie didn’t crowd surf.

    Set List:

    Pendulum, Low Light, Sometimes, Corduroy, Lightning Bolt, Mind Your Manners, Do the Evolution, Immortality, My Father’s Son (live debut), Even Flow, Swallowed Whole (live debut), Sirens, Once, Comatose, I Got Id, Infallible, Present Tense, State of Love and Trust, Porch

    Encore: Off He Goes, Yellow Moon, Future Days, Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town, Rats, Got Some, Rearviewmirror

    Encore 2: Go, Alive, Baba O’Riley, (The Who cover), Indifference