Keane

Keane was incredible last Friday.  It was my third time seeing them, and they have consistently brought it.  While their albums are great, nothing can really compare to this band live.  They put on some of the best shows I’ve ever seen, something you might not expect from a band often deemed “mellow.”  Tim Rice-Oxley’s finely crafted soaring tunes paired with Tom Chaplin’s stunning vocals explode into a brilliant audio-visual experience for lucky and always-passionate Keane gig-goers.

Keane was the first proper current band that I got really into.  My family saw them on Saturday Night Live in 2004, performing “Somewhere Only We Know” and “Everybody’s Changing.”  I remember enjoying them (and actually thinking that Tom Chaplin’s name was Keane and the other guys were his backing band) and my mom being amazed at how much Tom sounded like Paul McCartney.  For Christmas of that year, my dad gave my mom a copy of Keane’s Hopes and Fears, their debut album that they had been on SNL to promote.  We listened to the album a good deal in the car as a family, and somewhere along the line I claimed the band as my own.  I had never heard anything quite like the massive “Bedshaped” and loved the band’s pretty piano melodies.

"Bedshaped." Watch, listen, learn.

I received my own copy of Keane’s second album, Under The Iron Sea, in 2006 for my 16^th birthday.  I kept the CD in my little blue boombox and would listen to it on repeat in my room.  UTIS quickly became my go-to album, especially for times I was feeling stressed or sad.  Something about the songs’ lonely lyrics and the intense, room-filling music comforted me.   I listened when I was happy too; when my high school trigonometry teacher let the class bring in music to listen to while we worked, I burned her a copy.  It was featured heavily in the rotation (thank god for cool teachers with great taste!).  With UTIS, Keane clearly expanded and grew, adding bass and heavy effects to their original piano-and-drums-only style.  This album contains my favorite Keane song, “Hamburg Song,” as well as some of my favorite album artwork of all time, designed by Sanna Annukka.

Unf, so pretty.

Keane’s third and most experimental album, Perfect Symmetry, came out early in my first semester of college, a time when I was beginning to really develop my taste in music, which has a distinctly British indie-pop flavor.  I had been listening non-stop to the two songs from the album that had been released, “Spiralling” and “The Lovers Are Losing.”  They day I secured my own copy from the now-closed Borders on State Street, I brought it back to my dorm room (which, somehow, was devoid of my two roommates), stuck it in my CD player, pressed play, lay on the pull-out couch, and closed my eyes to listen through the album.  Once it finished I listened again, this time reading the lyric book along with the CD.  I liked the album immediately, though some songs, like “Playing Along” were growers; for me, I often have to listen to a song at least 15 times for me to truly appreciate its brilliance.  I connected strongly with the album.  Much of the subject matter of Perfect Symmetry, especially the title track, is about observing all the violence and pain and apathy in the world and, in part, feeling frustrated and helpless to do anything about it, and also inspiring the listeners to take a stand.  The best examples I can think of for this are “Playing Along” and, my favorite on the album, “Perfect Symmetry.”

Perfect Symmetry brought me to my first Keane show.  Not having seen many videos of their performances, I was skeptical as to how good Keane would be live.  I needn’t have worried.  On May 6^th, 2009, I dragged two of my friends to the Aragon Ballroom for the show.  It was just brilliant.  Tom Chaplin was constantly running from one end of the stage to another, Tim Rice-Oxley played the keys more intensely than anyone I had ever seen, and the rhythms of Richard Hughes and Jesse Quin (Keane’s touring bass player) drove each song to the very back of the ballroom (or I assume so; we were in the front).  At one point the band took a break from the amps and the stunning light show to gather in a half-circle to play some stripped-down songs.  Even with the splendor of the rest of the show, I think this was my favorite part.  When it was all over, I was determined to meet the band.  Not long after I arrived at the stage door, the band members emerged!  I was a bit starstruck at seeing Tim standing in front of me, but I was also surprised at how normal they were.  They were incredibly kind and patient with all the swarming fans; I asked Tim if I could give him a hug for all the wonderful songs that he had written, and if he could sign my new UTIS-design poster.  He said sure to both requests.  I gave Richard a few photographs I had taken of Chicago, as he is a tip-top photographer and I wanted to give him something of my own to remember the city by.  He signed my poster as well, as did Tom, who was so surrounded by fans that that was all I could manage.  Jesse hadn’t come out yet but I could tell my friends were ready to go home, so we left.  I actually lost my voice completely and entirely for the next three days, as I was already getting sick and did not restrain myself from singing and screaming all through the concert.  A small price to pay for one of the best shows I’d been to. 

I next saw Keane after the release of their Night Train EP, a mish-mash of collaborations and songs that Keane wanted to record but that didn’t really fit in with their other albums.  This EP was definitely interesting and I enjoyed their collaborations with rapper K’naan and songs like “My Shadow” and “Clear Skies.”  Some songs were iffy to me; I am honestly not sure what they were thinking when they recorded “Ishin Denshin,” a cover of a Japanese pop song (sorry guys, but it's terrible).  They toured the EP and I went to see them a second time, bringing my cousin Theresa along with me to the Chicago Theater.  It was a gorgeous venue for the band to play, but the seats were assigned and despite purchasing my tickets the second they went on sale, our seats were pretty far away.  I prefer general admission, because I like for my position in the theater to be determined by how early I arrive, and not how much I pay for tickets!  It was still fantastic show though.  Tim actually sang “Your Love,” admitting his apprehension about doing so; though he writes all of Keane’s songs, Tom sings them.  I thought Tim did a great job.  After the show Theresa and I joined the crowd along the side of the theater, hoping to say hello to the band.  Again, they came out and were really, incredibly lovely to the fans.  We talked to Richard and Tim for a good few minutes each, and I gave Richard some more Chicago photographs.  Tom was hard to talk to again, as he is continually the victim of fangirl swarms.  I was determined to see Jesse this time, because, though he was not an official member of the band, I considered him to be, and I might have a tiny little ginormous crush on him.  While we waited for him, we saw Ingrid Michaelson, who opened, making her way to her bus, seemingly unnoticed by the other fans.  She was incredibly sweet and I took picture of her and Theresa.  Finally, I spotted the wonderful Jesse Quin near the stage door, with just a few people talking to him.  When my turn came, I told him that I thought he was very talented and that I loved his music.  His shy response: “Aw, you sound like my mum…”  He signed my UTIS poster and I gave him a hug.

So far away...

Theresa and me with Tim

T and Ingrid!! They look weirdly alike here...

Me and Richard, winner of the Nicest Guy Award

Me with Jesse.  Lovely lovely lovely man.

Months passed.  I studied in Europe, discovered some amazing bands, and graduated college.  Just before my last semester ended, Keane released their newest album, Strangeland.  My love for Keane, though ever-present, had been somewhat hidden under everything new that had come to me in the past few years.  Still, I was glad to have a new album of theirs.  I had to wait to listen to it until finals were through, and when I did, I wasn’t completely sure how I felt about it as a whole.  I immediately loved many of the tracks: "Disconnected" is fantastic, as is “Silenced By The Night”; “On The Road” has hints of Springsteen and the lyric "Sometimes a dream itself can keep you safe all along the road" reminds me of the time Abby and I were driving in a terrifying torrential downpour through Tennessee determined to reach a Mumford & Sons show (somehow we made it alive and in time); and “Sovereign Light Café,” a song written a few years ago but which had only come to light with this album, makes me dance and well up at the beauty of the melody and feel nostalgic for a place I’ve never been.  Other tracks on the album came to me more slowly; I didn’t realize how much I liked “Day Will Come” until I woke up with it pleasantly playing in my head, and one day “The Starting Line” came out of nowhere, hitting me like an emotion-filled semi.  Some tracks I’m still unsure about, like “Black Rain” and “Watch How You Go"; they're slower songs, the kind that take me a while to really get into.

Video for "Sovereign Light Cafe"

Fast-forward to last Friday.  

It had been a great week for music, as I'd seen Laura Marling that Tuesday.  My friend Jenny and I planned to get to The Vic early to get good spots for Keane.  I had met Jenny in line for a Brandon Flowers show in 2010, and as we talked we realized that we both loved Keane—I have very few friends that share my enthusiasm for them—and that we had been to several of the same concerts, including Keane at The Aragon and the Chicago Theater as well as Mt. Desolation, the country side-project of Tim and Jesse, as well as a few other friends (Winston Marshall of Mumford & Sons and Ronnie Vannucci of The Killers recorded with them).  After a lunch of which I ate very little, possibly due to nervous excitement, we took our place in line, about 30 people from the front.  This was around 3:00, and doors didn’t open until 7.  Fortunately, it was such a nice day out that the hours flew by.  Jenny’s friend Lisa, who I had also met at the Brandon Flowers show, joined us in line.  We saw Tim, Richard, and Tom walk into the venue, and I was wondering where Jesse was when all of a sudden, a pink-shirted blur flew past me in the form of the newest now-official member of the Keane.  I guess the band realized that Jesse was pretty much a member as it was, and they couldn’t go much longer pretending not to have a bass player.  With the band safely inside, we settled back down to wait.  At one point I walked over to Potbelly to use their facilities, and when I returned, I was informed that I missed Tom and Richard come out and talk to the fans!  Jenny got to chat with Richard and take a picture with him and everything.

That would happen as soon as I left.

Finally, all the fans were ordered to form a line, with women to the right and men to the left.  I do have a problem with this.  I understand that it is done because women typically are carrying bags that need to be checked while men often just have their wallets; however, this means that the many guys get to go in first, even if the ladies in front of them had been there hours before!  And what’s more, men are often taller than women, and so it is quite frustrating for a girl of average height (5’4”) like me to have perpetually to stand behind a mountain of the tallest men at the concert.

Anyway.  Rant of the day.  Moving on.

I was the first of us to get in, so I dashed to the front, catching a glimpse of a beautiful Hatch Print poster made for the tour.  But it would have to wait; I knew where my priorities lay.  I planted myself at the center-left of the stage and the others joined me.  The stage was crowded with Keane’s instruments as well as those of the opening act, Patrick Watson.

Potential musical energy

I had listened to some of Patrick Watson’s songs the night before on YouTube, and they seemed good.  I was worried they would be too mellow and would make me sleepy, as some opening acts are wont to do, but I shouldn’t have been concerned, as they were amazing live.  Their set began with the stage completely dark, save for a dim light on the pianist’s face.  Then, the guitar and the violin and the drums began to play, and with them appeared little tiny lights on the fingers of the musicians, which lit up with each note played.  It was like gazing at musical fireflies.  Then the song picked up and the strike of each chord, lights from below lit up the stage in time with the song.  I’m not sure if it was choreographed or the lights were triggered by the sound, but it was spectacular.  The rest of the show was largely lit from below with sound cues, and for a few songs the entire band (five people, I think) gathered around one microphone and produced such lovely harmonies.  Patrick Watson’s voice reminded me of Samir’s of Young The Giant, and the instrumentation and harmonies made me think of The Head And The Heart.  I was actually disappointed when they finished!  Once I am able, I will be giving them some of my money.

The excitement mounted as the crowd anticipated Keane.  Suddenly the PA music stopped, the lights dimmed, and their walk-on music blared from the speakers.  Just as the audience seemed ready to burst, one by one, the four members took to the stage.  They launched into “You Are Young,” the first track of Strangeland.  The stage was set up beautifully, with a great pedestal in front of Richard’s drum set, and a round “STRANGELAND” beacon on the upper-right of the backdrop that lit up whenever the band played a song from that album.  We had a great view; all the instruments were set up so that we were able to see each band member clearly—a difficult task in a piano-heavy band.  Tom worked the crowd like the top frontman that he is, singing directly to us, moving about the stage with grandiose gestures and an even more impressive voice.  Tim hit the keys with more intensity than I’ve ever seen anyone play; he rarely sat, instead leaning over the keyboard, practically playing with his nose.  His arms were trembling and his eyes closed when he sang the harmonies to the songs he had written.  Richard never stopped moving—I always love watching the drummers because they are so exciting and they make the best faces—and in fact I was unable to get any pictures in which he was not a blur!  Jesse bounced around the stage, at one point climbing the pedestal to rock on facing Richard.  

The upbeat songs were huge and the crowd to jumped and danced like mad to them, and the quiet songs were delicate and sweeping.  Emotions in the theater were high, and I even found myself choked up during “The Starting Line.”  There was, of course, a heavy emphasis on Strangeland with 9 tracks from the album, including the song “Strangeland,” which for some reason was added to the album just as a bonus track despite its name and its superb-ness as a song.  I was surprised and pleased by many tracks from Under The Iron Sea; when I heard the opening chords of "Nothing In My Way" it was as if I were 16 again.  I was elated that they performed “Perfect Symmetry,” the only track they played from the album of that name, which I realized later to my astonishment (though really, I didn’t mind as the setlist was a wonderful blend of new and old).  The crowd went especially wild for the songs from Keane’s first album.  Before they began “Somewhere Only We Know,” Tom told the crowd that we had no excuses, that everyone had to sing along to that one.  It really was a special moment, to be a part of a massive sing-along to one of, I think, the best songs of the 21^st century.  I wonder how it feels for the band, to witness so many people carrying a song you created so long ago, and to have come so far since then.

Tom told us something that warmed my Chicagoan heart: In every city Keane does a show in, Tom says something along the lines of "It's great to be in [city name]! The Windy City!"  Always "The Windy City."  Richard confirmed this fact, moaning from behind the drum kit, "Every city, for 15 tours, The Windy City."  Finally this time they actually were in the Windy City!  I'm feeling the love.

We were really close! The wait was worth it.

We knew the show was coming to a close when “Bedshaped” began.  In the past, Keane have always ended their shows with this song because they felt that nothing could really top it.  This time, however, it preceded four songs.  The encore was a bit ocean-themed; “Sea Fog,” a gorgeous track from Strangeland, brought the band back on stage, and they followed it with “Atlantic” from UTIS.  They finished with “Crystal Ball” and exited as they came in, as four English silhouettes.

We left the stage in a haze of joy and temporarily damaged eardrums.  I managed to secure the Hatch print poster I so coveted, and we headed outside to wait for the band.  We figured we would have to wait until the crew was done loading the trucks, but the lads appeared, still wearing the clothes they had been on stage!  Richard was first.  He really is just the nicest guy to talk to.  I gave him a print of a photo I had taken of The Bean in Millennium Park—continuing the tradition of giving him some photographic mementos of Chicago—and he seemed to like it, wondering how I managed to get a picture without anyone reflected in it.  I spoke to Jesse, giving him the “yay you’re an official member now” card I had made him that morning (it had a panda on it. He likes pandas.  I am a sad fangirl) and taking a picture with him.  I think he was appreciative and not too terribly creeped out.  Tom came over next, and he was actually taking pictures with the fans this time!  My picture turned out a bit blurry, but that’s alright.  I got a great picture of him and Jenny though.  When I saw Tim, I asked him if I could give him a hug.  He said “of course” and I went in for it.  I stumbled on a crack in the sidewalk, stepped on Tim’s right foot, and kind of crashed into him.  He kind of caught me and asked if I was alright—me, the girl who just stepped on his foot!  I was mortified.  “Me? Are you alright? I’m so sorry!”  He assured me that he was fine and we took a picture together.  I managed to remember to ask Tim if the band had ever considered collaborating with Florence Welch.  He thought for a moment and said that yes, they had reached out to her for “Your Love,” but apparently she didn’t want to.  I do think they would make an amazing combination, so I shall hold onto this hope for the future.

Me and Jesse. Thanks to Jenny for these pictures!

Me and Tim, post-stumble. He is just unbelievably wonderful.

Me and a blur named Tom Chaplin

Limited edition Hatch print. I visited the Hatch shop in Nashville.  They make damn fine posters.

Suddenly, all was over.  We parted ways and I took the Red Line home, smiling and shaking my head the whole way about the Tim’s Foot Incident.  It was such a great night, and I am glad to have my ardor for Keane revitalized.