tUnE-YaRds, Micachu & The Shapes, and Delicate Steve at Terminal 5

On June 1st, 

Jon and I went to Terminal 5 to see:

Delicate Steve

Micachu & The Shapes

and

tUnE-YaRds.

Did that sound like gibberish?

They were obscure bands to me until about two months ago.

First, a concert at Terminal 5 wasn't all that horrible.

After reading the Yelp reviews,

I was a little terrified,

but it's a better musical space than

Radio City, I think,

just because it's smaller,

so the sound doesn't just disappear

into the velvety cushions and carpeted floors.

It's only a couple of blocks north of our apartment too.

There's a long hallway,

and then there's the floor with the stage and a large bar at the back.

Then on each side of the bar are steps to get to the second and third balconies.

We hung out on the third balcony,

but the ceiling speakers were right there

and the sound was so loud that the vibrations made me feel pretty sick.

So we went down to the first floor and hung out toward the back,

so we wouldn't be trampled on by warpainted hipsters trying to dance.

Warpainted hipsters.

So, you might be wondering if Steve is really all that delicate.

I'm not really sure.

I was too busy trying to figure out the venue and jostle for a good spot.

But this is Steve's famous song--and the video is cool to boot:

It makes me think about who I'd want to be in this video.

I've narrowed it down to:

hula-hoop girl

belly dancer with sword

chain saw dude

It's like how this subway ad

makes me wonder who I am in this generic sampling.

I think Jon and I are like these folks:

We can be any of these people

at different times.

So Micachu & the Shapes

did not play the one song that I really like:

How fun was that?

It makes me want to dance freaking crazy

and then totally freeze when there's a rest in the music.

Nope, they played a bunch of stuff that wasn't as fun as this song.

And finally tUne-YaRds.

At first when Jon played her stuff,

I thought the chick sounded like a dude,

but then I realized she just has a cool voice.

And she sounds like she's from somewhere exotic,

but she's from New England.

She's from NEW ENGLAND!

How'd she get that voice?

Here are some songs that you might have heard:

I want to go to THAT school.

The sharp notes in this song are just too appealing to hate.

Falsetto then that flat tone in her voice.

Gangsta.

Again with the kids.

The gray dress is really cute.

Actually, all these kids are dressed really nice.

Is this a GAP ad?

 And then there was “Powa” 

before which some guy in the audience shouted 

“I have sex to this song,”

generating laughter from the entire audience 

and Merrill thanking him for the kind gesture.

--Melissa Sheinberg

This video actually leads to other really cool NPR recordings of musicians,

but it also demonstrates how Merill creates the backing track to her songs.

You also get to see her horn section and bassist up close.

I used to think saxes couldn't be as essential to music as trumpets,

but now I'm no longer sure.

This was one of the best concerts I've been to,

and it made me look forward to the rest of this summer.