As I left the house on Sunday night, I announced that I was on my way to see the greatest living American band. Was I talking about Aerosmith? No. What about Slayer? Nope. I was referring to Flickerstick. You heard me. Flickerstick.
I love Flickerstick. More precisely, I love the idea of Flickerstick. I was devoted to the VH1 show Bands On The Run, and Flickerstick won the competition. They were always lagging behind the other bands for merchandise and ticket sales, because they were busy drinking instead of working. But they never got eliminated, since they won every single battle of the bands. They won because they were the best rock and roll band. Ahhh, the Bands On The Run system works.
I had heard the Flickerstick album, Welcoming Home The Astronauts, several times, and it's not that great. It's a good rock album, but nothing particularly remarkable. I was willing to overlook the generic material though, because I love Flickerstick!
So I went to the show. Because I love Flickerstick! Nothing could keep me from seeing my favorite drunks in person. I was hoping to see them in what I consider to be their natural state, drunk at the bar before the show. No such luck. They aren't an anonymous bar band anymore. They have been bumped up to a club band; therefore they are too big to loiter in the crowd pre-show. And the crowd looked to be people just like me. People who would have been home watching VH1 if their favorite VH1 celebrities had not been in town.
The opening act was called Abandoned Pools, and they sounded just like the Smashing Pumpkins. That is all I have to say about them. Then came Flickerstick! Yay! I love Flickerstick! Wait, what happened to Flickerstick? They were so, so well groomed. It was Flickerstick after their Jenny Jones makeovers. They looked the same, only more expensive. It was as if their Target fashions had been replaced by the Marshall Fields versions of the same outfits. And Brandin and Rex had discovered combs!
They had also acquired all of the rock and roll trappings. Halfway through the first song, the strobe lights started firing, and I got the giggles. They couldn't even wait one song before breaking out the strobes. They also had a projection screen behind them, featuring images for each song. However, the VCR counter appeared on the screen between each song, proof that they have not yet mastered all of their new trappings.
Overall, the show was true to the album. Decent rock and roll, but nothing different. I was enjoying the show, until they did the traditional "take it down a notch." The band left the stage, and Brandin, lead singer, did an acoustic number. And they lost me.
The band came back for a couple more tunes, including the single, Beautiful, which everyone knew, despite the lack of local airplay. (Which, by the way, Brandin was sure to complain about.) Beautiful got a huge pop from the crowd, but Flickerstick never got me back. I just kept checking my watch. They were, however, smart enough to do no encore, since they do not have the catalog or monster hit to warrant one.
Did I have a good time? It was okay. Was it bland? Yes it was. Would I go again? Of course! It's Flickerstick. And whether I like it or not, I love Flickerstick.