I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: October 7, 2022] Stereolab

I saw Stereolab for the first time back in 2019 (after they had been away from Philly for 11 years).  I was a fan since the early 90s but had never seen them.

I really enjoyed the previous show–it was everything I wanted.  When they announced a new 2022 tour I wasn’t sure if I needed to go.  But I figured, why not?

Like last time, the Groop’s was set up in a half circle with Tim Gane on guitar to my far left and Lætitia Sadier singing, playing keys and guitars on my far right.  In the middle from left to right was drummer Andy Ramsay, keyboardist Joe Watson (with a giant Fender Rhodes), and bassist Xavier Muñoz Guimera.

As I mentioned for Fievel is Glaque, the crowd was really annoying.  I’m not sure what half of these people were doing here.   Do drunken college girls in 2022 like Stereolab?  Are they all over TikTok?  (No, apparently).

Of course, I felt like a poser myself because I didn’t know most of the songs.  Stereolab has put out a ton of records and even more compilations of one-off singles.  And, like last time they played three songs from one of these compilations (which I haven’t listened to in forever).

Last time, they played the bulk of their songs from their albums that came out in the 1990s, with a few from the 2000s sprinkled in. This time it was a lot more “recent” stuff.  I was sure they’d throw in a few songs I knew, but it wasn’t until “The Free Design” that I recognized a song.  They playe da few thigs from Dots and Loops, and usually a hugely long song would have me really excited, but I didn’t recognize “Refractions in the Plastic Pulse” which runs 17 minutes on the record (I feel like I should have been super excited for this song but I really wasn’t).

And then the set jumped between rare stuff and “newer” songs.  I just wasn’t feeling it.

Perhaps it was me, or the crowd around me rubbing me the wrong way.  Whatever the case, I just didn’t enjoy this set as much as I thought I would.  The band sounded great.  Although I did notice that I wasn’t as blown away by the bass like I was last time (song choices or mixing levels, I guess,, because I’m sure Gimera was great.  I also felt like Tim Gane wasn’t quite as much of a maniac as he was last time–I feel like I was less awed by his playing than I was last time.

Lætitia Sadier sounded great.  In fact everyone sounded good, but I just wasn’t feeling it.  Or maybe I just like Union Transfer better than Franklin Music Hall (I do).

Sadier told us they were playing a special encore for us.  A song they hadn’t played since 2001.  I was pretty excited, except when they started it, I didn’t know it.  Well, actually I did know it because it came from Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night, which I know I’ve listened to.  But apparently not all that much.

The second encore was French Disko, one of only two songs that they played last time.  Normally I love when a band plays a wholly different setlist for a show, but this one went so far into the obscure that I was really excited to hear the two dupes.  “French Disko” is super fun song and I did really enjoy that one.

They ended with a song that they released with Nurse with Wound which I didn’t know.  That segued into another obscure song.  And the night was over.

I’ve enjoyed Stereolab as background listening and as foreground listening.  Generally speaking anything they play is cool with me.  But I think a lot of factors made this show really less than enjoyable.

I’m sure there are many fans who would look at this setlist and tell me how jealous they were.  But I was getting a little nervous because this was two shows in a row that I had been really looking forward to from which I came away feeling meh.

Although here’s a video from Markit Aneight of the whole show.  So maybe if I watch it again I’ll enjoy it more