I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: February 29, 2020] We Were Promised Jetpacks

I saw We Were Promised Jetpacks two years ago at Boot & Saddle, a wonderfully intimate place to see a band.  Although I had read that when they played slightly bigger venues, they really maximized the stage space.  In particular, guitarist Michael Palmer was a wild man.

Last time, lead singer Adam Thompson had a shaved head and he looked kind of fierce.  For this show, his hair was grown back and he was giddy, smiling up and down at everyone and clearly enjoying himself.

What was also different was Michael Palmer.  When he came out, I thought–I don’t remember him looking like that at all. Did he grow his hair super long?  And why is he so mellow over there?  Well, it turned out that that was not Michael Palmer. Palmer retired after last year’s tour (which I was supposed to go to but then couldn’t).  This new guitarist was Andy Monaghan from Frightened Rabbit. His playing was excellent, but he was not a very dynamic performer.  That just meant that Thompson was the main focus as he strode around the stage and hammed it up for the people up front to take pictures.

Even though Thompson is the main focus, I was constantly drawn to Darren Lackie on the drums–which were just fantastic.

I enjoyed the previous show, but this show was so much more fun.  The audience was great (they were great at the previous show, too, but they were more bouncey here) and it just felt like a warmer, more friendly experience.

They opened with the pummeling “Human Error.”  It began with just Thompson singing and playing guitar.  After the first verse, it seemed like the rest of the band jumped in, and I was especially taken with drummer Darren Lackie’s pounding.  But THEN the rest of the band kicked in and–pow–an explosion of sound.

They followed it with “Repeating Patterns” which I love for the wonderful guitar riffage (from both Monaghan and Thompson) and the fact that Thompson sings in a falsetto–unexpected for someone as intense as he is.

When I saw them last time, “Someone Else’s Problems” didn’t have a title yet (The setlist called it “Burner”).  By this time, the crowd was fully familiar with it and everyone sang the “heeeeey” part.

I didn’t remember exactly what songs they played last time, so I wasn’t sure when I’d hear something new.  But I knew that I hadn’t sung along with “Moving Clocks Run Slow,” because that chorus with its huge “whoooooo!” is unforgettable.

They played only one song from 2014’s Unraveling (when I saw them last time, they played nothing from it, and evidently didn’t play anything from it on the 2019 tour either).  That song was “Safety in Numbers” and after it, Thompson told us that the next song, “Not Wanted” was his favorite song on The More I Sleep, The Less I Dream.  It’s a surprisingly mellow song.  Well, not exactly surprising, because WWPJ does have many quiet moments.  I just tend to remember the rocking parts more.  But they do quiet just as well as anybody else and this song is great.

For a lot of bands I like to get different songs at every show.  But WWPJ has many songs that are phenomenal live.  “Keeping Warm” is one of them.  It starts with four minutes of instrumental magic.  The music builds and builds with louder and louder guitars and drums–Lackie is simply going berserk on the cymbals by the end (and no I didn’t get a clip of it because I was so into the song).  After the huge opening, the song turns into a really catchy and thought provoking song.

Last time they followed “Keeping Warm” with the controlled chaos of “Boy in the Backseat.”  The drums are fantastic and watching Thompson effortlessly play those screaming guitar leads was very cool.

For the most part the crowd was pretty chill for this show.  The folks in the front row were pogoing like crazy and there were a few people around me also pogoing, but there was, surprisingly, very little in the way of slam dancing.  As soon as “Roll Up Your Sleeves” started through the show, somebody came in and started crashing his way around and security was on him pretty quickly (which surprised me).  What was especially interesting about this was watching Thompson.  He obviously didn’t want the fans hurt, but he also didn’t want to see them dragged off the stage. I don’t know what was happening, I couldn’t see, but as they pulled the guy away, there was wonderful synchronicity as the song slowed down and the lyrics turned to

Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm
Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm
Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm
Keep warm
Keep warm

Even though I did enjoy hearing some of the same great songs, it was also cool to hear songs they didn’t play last time, like “Sore Thumb” which features great opening bass chords from Sean Smith and a lovely guitar melody from Monaghan and Thompson.   During the last show Thompson sang without a microphone a few times.  He would put the mic to his chest and sing out to the crowd.  I was up close both times and I could hear her very clearly (I assume he was loud enough for everyone).  This time, he sang the opening of “Sore Thumb” without a microphone and it was amazing.

By the time Sore Thumb ended, when he introduced “Quiet Little Voices” a whole parade of slam dancers came forward and started the crowd moving.  I checked on the security guards who were alert but hanging back.

But “Quiet Little Voices” is undeniably fun.  Thompson introduced it as a stupid song that he wrote when he was 18.  But its simplicity and super catchiness makes it the perfect sing- and dance-along song.   And the crowd went pretty wild for this one.  There was a girl in front of me who very definitely did not want to be in a mosh pit and she switched places with her pogoing friend.  But there was another girl with a pony tail and a white cardigan who immediately crashed through people to get to the mosh pit.  Security was alert but respectful and they let everybody bounce around.

When it was over Thompson encourage everyone to be safe, to take care of each other and to make thee guys’ (the security) jobs easier.  Then he told everyone to keep “Hanging In.”  I feel like we were all pretty lucky that “Hanging In” starts as a mellow song, because everyone could chill out for a bit.

I remembered that at the last show, the final song was outstanding.  I assumed it would be the same final song, but no.  Indeed, I’m guessing that whatever their final song is is just fantastic.  This time it was “Pear Tree” a song they didn’t even play last time.  Once again, Thompson sang without a microphone–singing over the mic into the audience who remained remarkably quiet while he did.  And then came the clapping along.

“Pear Tree” was a terrific set-ender.  It grew louder and louder and more and more intense and then, just like last time, as this final song drew to a close, Thompson, slid his guitar off his shoulder and let it drop to the floor as he said his goodnights.

WWPJ don’t believe in encores, so even though we were the last show of the tour, the last song was the last song.  But when it was over Thompson jumped down into the front row for a picture of all of us.  I noticed that all of the previous shows were posted on Instagram, but ours was not (boo).

The previous tour was an anniversary tour of These Four Walls where they played the whole album and some other songs.  I wasn’t that upset that I missed it (although I was certainly bummed).  Now realizing that it was Palmer’s last tour, I’m more bummed for sure.  But WWPJ sounds fantastic and they seemed totally into the show.  I’m very glad I saw them this time around.

I wanted to check out their merch this time around, but White Eagle Hall, no matter how much I love the venue, has the worst merch set up. It’s in the same room as the coat check, which is a horrible bottleneck and really discourages you from wanting to wait on line.  I can’t think of any other way for them to do it, though.  I guess the key is to go there on warm nights.  At any rate, the show ended pretty late, and I didn’t feel like waiting for a peek at the merch, so I just took off.  Hope I didn’t miss anything awesome.

 

2020 White Eagle Hall	2018 Boot & Saddle
Human Error [Pit]	The More I Sleep [More]
Repeating Patterns [More]	Human Error [Pit]
Someone Else’s Problem [More]	Circles and Squares [Pit]
Moving Clocks Run Slow [T4W]	Someone Else’s Problem [More]
Safety in Numbers [⊗]	Hanging In [More]
Not Wanted [More]	This Is My House, This Is My Home [T4W]
Keeping Warm [T4W]	When I Know More [More]
Boy in the Backseat [Pit]	Keeping Warm [T4W]
Roll Up Your Sleeves [T4W]	Boy in the Backseat [Pit]
Sore Thumb [Pit]	Adult 2
Quiet Little Voices [T4W]	Impossible [More]
Hanging In [More]	It’s Thunder and It’s Lightning [T4W]
Pear Tree [Pit]	Short Bursts [T4W]
	Repeating Patterns [More]

[More] = The More I Sleep, The Less I Dream (2018)
[⊗] = Unravelling (2014)
[Pit]= In the Pit of the Stomach (2011)
[T4W]= These Four Walls (2010)