"This song is from an album I can't pronounce"

Being a frugal music lover I find it difficult to determine when to and when not to attend concerts. On one hand you may bare witness to one of the most amazing performances you've ever heard. On the other that 20 dollar ticket, plus the 10 dollar Ticketmaster rape fee, plus the extra 20 or so dollars it took to get to and away from the venue, plus that late night snack you will need generally steers me away from most shows. When you are a college student your priorities have to be established, and for me I generally like to eat before going to a concert. However, usually once or twice a year I make the exception to my rule and set trail to Chicago for a show. My stinginess has paid off as I have not witnessed a show I disliked. There have been shows that have been technically sublime, and shows where the band made you feel like an integral part of something. Then there are shows like September 18th's Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Group show that make you reconsider which shows you should go see. They set the standard for a concert to an almost unfair level.

More on that later.

I think we need a bit of a back story here, a template for the explanation that is about to happen. There was a magical moment Junior year of High-School. I say magical because I found high-school to be an awful waste of time and I can't wait for the reunion just to see a bunch of overweight people I used to sit next to in Chemistry. The reason it was magical was a special pair of headphones were placed upon my head. These were no ordinary headphones mind you, no, these headphones carried the sounds of the album that would forever shape the music I listened to. Inside those little speakers carried the sounds of Deloused in The Comatorium an album by the ostentatious and long winded The Mars Volta. I could go on about that album and the future albums for days, but I will save that for another day. The critical piece of that story was being introduced to someone who I identify as the best living guitarist, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. Omar has released something to the tune of a million solo albums since that memorable day, and apparently has hard drives full of music just waiting to be released (and with finally finding a label that will put up with his bullshit onslaught his dreams are finally coming true). His albums vary from the Skull fracturing Cryptomnesia which is something to the equivalent of being date raped by sound to the sonic insult of Despair which can't be classified as anything but, "one giant awful sound". Yes, there is something for everyone, and everything for a person who is willing to follow each of these solo albums from start to finish. The journey is one that is truly rewarding if you do for you will find all sorts of brilliant gems of composing and guitar manipulation. To make this all the more interesting, when he is not touring with The Mars Volta he can be found touring with his solo band, except that he only has toured in Europe...until now! When I heard that the subject of what my girlfriend would call a more than creepy crush was coming to The Congress to play a show, well you can be assured that is one of those occasions where I would be willing to spring forward the money for a ticket to see it.

The show itself had two openers, both from Mexico city, and both proving that the best sounds in rock were coming from down south, perhaps we should let some more people hop the fence so they can at least play some good music.

First up was Vicente Gayo a band whose sound was akin to a Super Nintendo shoved into a blender mixed with... well actually that's the brilliant part, I can't really say what their sound was like. It was refreshing to hear something so smart, so crisp, and so well put together with it not sounding like everything else. As they ran through a 30 minute set I was completely entranced, usually the opener of the opener sounds about as good as your middle school concert band did... I'll let you finish that analogy (and don't even tell me your band was actually good, that is a lie). Regardless, this is a band checking out and you should.

For the second course we had what you would get if The Dresden Dolls and The Yea Yea Yeas (when they were good mind you) had a baby, and had it infused with fire...and chili peppers. Le Butcherettes consist of "Teri Gender Bender" who plays keys and guitar and two men in masks playing drums and bass. While not the most original sounding group ever (though certainly having their unique flair) they provided the audience with easily the most visually entertaining show of the night. While rocking to an actual full setlist (a shocker for an opening band) Teri could be seen doing cartwheels flopping around on stage like a fish out of water, smashing equipment off stage by the audience, and then cleaning up the venue. As gimmicky as it sounds Teri never ever gave off the vibe that it was all some cheap trick to keep the audience interested. Instead, these hilarious antics merely were an extra bonus to the already outstanding performance they were giving. Again, this is a band to watch out for.

Two bands in and expectations were already high (along with most of the concert goers), it was already determined that the $23 dollar tickets were a good investment, and the main attraction hadn't even shown up yet.

And then they did...and my god.

Omar, with Juan Alderete De La Pena on the bass, Lars Stalfors on samples, Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez on keys, Deantoni Parks on drums, and Spanish pop-star Ximena Sariñana Rivera attacked the audience like it was a battle for survival. Each track was a masterpiece after the other, with each one raising the bar even higher. The audience had already been blown away by two solid openers and to then still be blown away was a feat I hardly thought plausible. What I think made the matter all the sweeter was how most of these songs were not even from his available solo records. He simply just grabbed some songs that sounded good and said "well lets play these" and they did. From Spanish ballads, to prog odysseys, to dance rock they covered the lot, and the covered it with expertise and precision. If there was a complaint to be had it would have been the venue itself. The Congress, like many rock venues was never designed for the intricacies of a concert like this and too often the multiple tiny layers that make up the sweet dessert that was the Omar Group cake were smashed into something more of a custard. Regardless, it was a journey that could never be forgotten for it set a standard. It set a standard for quality of performance and simply winning the audience over with something they had never heard. When most people go to a show they wanna hear the greats, the big hits, the singles, the songs they can all sing along to. The people at Wrigley Field that night were seeing Dave Matthews Band, a group that can do that, and make the audience love every second of it. That takes talent, and in the case of DMB some very stupid concert goers who don't understand that Dave and his band should still never be allowed back into Chicago for the atrocities committed to the poor tourists they literally dumped shit on a few years back. Regardless, yes there is something to respect in their shit dumping chorus chanting performance. It takes infinite more skill to illicit that same reaction without having a hook, no sing a longs, no singles, and no big hits. 6 musicians stepped up to the plate with a batch of songs no one had ever heard, save for two or three songs and expected the audience to eat it up all the same, and they did, and that takes a skill beyond the scope of most musicians, and is why I will continue to indulge myself in every future solo release from the musical beast that is Omar Rodriguez -Lopez.

You can track Le Butcherettes on their facebook page "Le Butcherettes Official"
Vicente Gayocan be found at Vicentegayo.com
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez can be followed at http://rodriguezlopezproductions.com/