The Dismemberment Plan/Enon/Gena Rowlands
Live @ King's Barcade
Raleigh, NC
05.21.01

The first of two openers was Washington, DC duo Gena Rowlands, consisting of a guitarist and a violinist. While possibly a good idea on paper, this didnt translate to a good live performance, and the band seemed to be incomplete as it was. As a result, their set didn't leave much of an impression on me.

Enon came on next, almost looking straight out of the seventies, and tore through a set that was loud, fast, and energetic. Several times, leadman John Schmersal ventured into the crowd to harass/entertain the audience in mid-song. With a wild look in his e yes, he and the rest of the band played with frenetic energy for nearly an hour before ending the set, "remaining as the band Enon."

And then it was time for the Dismemberment Plan. Promised to a smattering of new material from their now-finished fourth album Changes, the Plan certainly delivered. Mixing four or five new songs with material culled mostly from Emergency & I, Travis sang and played with high energy, as usual. Certainly one of the best rhythm sections in rock music today, bassist Eric Axelman and drummer Joe Easley impressed on "The City" and "Time Bomb," while Jason Caddel kept up with the furious pace on "The Dismemberment Plan Gets Rich," "Gyroscope," and set closer "Back and Forth." After coming back for a short encore, the Plan said their goodbyes, leaving the audience with a ringing in their ears that would seemingly last alongside a sense of anticipation until October.

Minor Complaints - The sweaty guy dancing in front of
me with major B.O.

posted by Tommy on 05.22.01