New Pornographers @ Maxwell's 6/22:

(Pic via Wassanova)

It’s 9:00 AM and I just got to work. I got home form Maxwell’s last night at 1:30 AM. Brooklyn Vegan has already posted links to reviews by two others. AHHH.

Last night’s show was decent, but hardly spectacular. The first few songs or so fell flat. Flat, as in, like a rhino collapsing from the machine gun of a maniacal poacher. I had more energy at the Shout Out Louds* at 2 AM two weeks ago whom I barely knew at all.

Then some guy started almost pushing, or even moshing. This would have been a disaster except it seemed it was mostly in protest of the crowd that just couldn’t ‘go’. He calmed down and the show picked up tremendously from there. Maybe the audience finally got over the shock of no Neko. Anyway, if the whole show had been as fun as the last half, I would have few complaints. I did have high expectations, and the new stuff was good. I noticed a few people in the crowd singing along, a dead-giveaway to a leaked album.

Expect tonight to be much better, and Saturday’s show to be even more so –with the Stars opening, the crowd will already be in a great mood.

No, Kathryn is not Neko. She will not win recognition by Playboy. She probably won't receive the same affection that Neko does. But she is damn adorable -alla Petra Hayden for the Decemberists.

*Shout Out Louds play at Mercury Lounge on August 8. Tickets available here.