Live 105 once again gave their fans the ultimate Christmas gift, and once again it was in the form of a show with some of the biggest bands of the year. Not only that but, with Broken Bells, The Black Keys, Phoenix, My Chemical Romance, and Smashing Pumpkins all on the bill, there was a present something for everybody.
After Broken Bells got the still-filtering-in crowd going, it was The Black Keys who really turned the energy level up a notch, and set the tone for the evening. Singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney put on a great set of stripped down garage rock and, by the time they wrapped up their forty-minute-or-so set with 'I Got Mine,' the crowd was on their feet.
Phoenix was up next and although they seemed to be a bit out of their element on a big arena stage, in addition to being obviously a bit road weary, they made the most of it; they managed to put on a nice little set of their radio friendly gems. “Lisztomania” was without a doubt the crowd favorite, and when singer Thomas Mars jumped from the stage and over the barricade to sing to the bands screaming fans, it just confirmed that having Phoenix on the bill was a no-brainer.
It seemed that My Chemical Romance were the most anticipated band of the evening, and when they hit the stage and launched into “Na. Na, Na,” the first single of their latest record Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, there was no doubt that this was the band people had piled into the Shark Tank to see. Singer Gerard Way invited the crowd to 'mosh' while he had his band churned out a set that was a combination of both older and newer material, with the anthemic “Welcome to the Black Parade” being the highlight of their brief set. It wasn't the doom and gloom angst filled music that I grew up with, but if this is what the kids are into these days, MCR do a pretty good job of relating to them.
After what was close to a 45-minute breakdown/set-up, Billy Corgan finally waltzed out onto the stage, floppy hat and all, with his current incarnation of the Smashing Pumpkins. While he may look (and sound) a bit older, he still has a back catalog of hits that will always keep fans flocking to him and, although Billy may have peaked artistically years ago, he still managed to put on an entertaining set of both older and newer material, thus proving that the ever-changing Pumpkins are not down for the count quite yet.
Looking back on the evening, although I am not really a huge fan of the bands, Live 105 managed to put on yet another show filled with today's must buzzed about bands, and I'll always look forward to seeing who they come up with for the next one.
