Tokyo Police Club @ The Glasshouse

My wife and I went to a concert this past Wednesday. We hadn't really been to a live music venue, which we had paid for, since last year. And that had been at the Hollywood Bowl. So, we figured it was high time to plunk some money down and support a band that we are fans of. We had paid the exorbitant convenience charges that Ticketmaster imposes on its victims a couple of months ago and had been anticipating this show for quite some time.

If you've ever been to The Glasshouse in Pomona, then you know it's just a room with a stage. Nothing fancy. The last time I had been there was probably almost 9 years ago. And it was to a Royal Crown Revue concert. I know, I used to like swing music. So fucking sue me. It was the late 90's. Everyone loved swing then. The place hasn't changed since then. It's still just that one room with a stage and a little snack area, which, I'm happy to say . . . doesn't sell $4 water bottles. That I was quite surprised about, because mark-up on beverages at concerts is almost astronomical at times. Heather was upset that there was no alcohol on sale at the premises, but that is understandable. The Glasshouse is an all ages joint. Whatever. The tickets were only 12 bucks a piece.

We got there right around the time that was printed on the tickets. Staff didn't let us actually enter until about a half hour later. Which sucked, but whatever, we were glad just to be in there. What we didn't know is that it would take just about an hour or so for the first band to get their set going. While waiting, we surveyed the crowd and found ourselves to be amongst a bunch of kids, some parents here or there, and not a whole lot of people in our same age bracket. My wife nailed it when she said that the group was made up of skinny pants emo kids sprinkled throughout with a freak here or there. I don't know what's up with these kids these days, but I saw an unnatural amount of fedora hats and ankle-high boots. I didn't get it. Maybe I'm just too old . . . but then again, I'm only motherfucking 28 years old.

The first band up was "The Virjins". Yes, with a "j". We hang out towards the back of the crowd while they performed their set. We weren't all that interested in them, and they did not surprise us much. The singer had an alright voice, but the band as a whole was just boring the shit out of us. Towards the end of their set, they got a little better, but it wasn't enough to make me a fan. To tell you the truth, the best part of their set was that it was only 8 or 9 songs long.

After a smoke break while the bands were in transition, we were treated to an actual nice surprise. We had never heard of the "White Rabbits", but they were great. A 6 man band that at times had 3 percussion instruments going, keyboards, guitars and two singers. They also had a great spirited set which didn't last long enough. They were good enough that I went to the merchandise desk afterwards and picked up their CD for 10 bucks. Which is saying a lot, because I probably buy 1 CD every couple of years.

After they were done, we finally got to see the band that had drawn us out to Pomona. "Tokyo Police Club" was fantastic. They played all of my favorite songs, and even got me to dance a little. Which is quite the fantastic feat, since I hate dancing in public. What I didn't understand much about their set, which had nothing to do with the band itself, was the kids that actually started moshing. I mean, I'd understand it if it were a hardcore punk show, but "Tokyo Police Club" just doesn't fit with that genre. Maybe it was just the kids getting excited about the great music. But it was a bit on the annoying side. We didn't end up inside the mosh-pit ourselves, but we were on the perimeter of it, having to push off a bunch of sweaty teens away from us. I secretly wanted one of them to fall and break their fucking neck. Maybe out of malice, but mostly because they were really pissing me off.

Aside from the moshing and the long delay with the first band actually making it on the stage, we had a good time at the show. It was also the last stop on the "Tokyo Police Club" tour schedule, which made us feel fortunate to have gotten a chance to experience it. If they're ever in your town, make an effort to catch their live concert. You can check out some samples of their music on a previous post of mine here. Check it out and download the free MP3's.