Thursday, April 9, 1998
Crowd jeers then cheers at concert featuring two bands
MUSIC: Black Lab’s disappointing portion of show overshadowed by
Our Lady Peace’s stellar singer
By Michelle Zubiate
Daily Bruin Contributor
In a small concert house amidst dark antique shops and
cobblestone roads, two alternative rock bands came together in
hopes of rockin’ out the silent city of Pomona. And one of them
actually came through.
On April 1st, Black Lab and Our Lady Peace delivered a set
somewhat divided in quality. While the former bored the crowd
almost to paralysis, the latter gave the audience all they’ve got
to offer and pulled off an impressive show.
After an excessively long wait, Black Lab finally appeared on
stage. The San Francisco-based band receives much airtime these
days on stations such as KROQ and Y-107, because of their new
single, "Wash It Away." It’s safe to say, however, it’s their only
song worth listening to.
Their talent rests solely on the heavy electric guitar that
dominates their sound, if not kills it all together. During the
show, the volume blasted so loud and mercilessly, the only relief
for the crowd’s eardrums was the speaker failure midway through the
show. Unfortunately for the crowd, they wouldn’t continue their set
until the problem was fixed.
Black Lab’s stale performance occurred mostly because of their
lack of energy. Each member of the band remained lifeless and
expressionless throughout the entire performance and it became
obvious the crowd wanted an end to their suffering. "Wash It Away"
played as the third song of the show. Once it ended, nothing
remained for the crowd to look forward to.
It was also obvious that Black Lab had very little personality
appeal or verbal skills. When lead singer Paul Durham offered an
introduction to the crowd, one audience member shouted "Where’s the
real band?" Needless to say, a smart reply and choice expletive
followed.
Had it not been for Our Lady Peace’s stellar following, the
chilly night would have turned frigid.
Girls cheered as lead singer Raine Maida took to the
microphone.
From the start, the passion that lacked in Black Lab shined
brightly in the Canadian band’s performance. Maida sang with
powerful energy, drive and talent. The band offered the crowd an
overwhelming sense of vitality that differed from the usual
clockwork motions bands often fall into during performances.
The show’s success came as a result of the visual components of
the show. Once the initial fear settled from the two enormous
Howdy-Doody-esque dummies on either side of the stage, the crowd
learned to appreciate the first dabble of the band’s creativity.
Lighting swirls created dazzling silhouettes of Maida on the walls.
The true excitement, however, came out of their use of a video
screen behind the band.
The crowd comprised of both those loyal Canadian fans (who were
not too shy to whip out Canada’s flag during "Superman’s Dead") and
those new fans who recognize Our Lady Peace through their hit song
"Clumsy." The band’s delivery of the single met all expectations.
It came off sounding 10 times better in person than on the radio
and MTV.
Maida introduced the song "Carnival" as a song about a
67-year-old man playing the game of jumping over the cracks on the
sidewalk. The lyrics portrayed thoughtful sentiment and honest
emotion, an obvious trademark of Maida’s character.
During one instrumental intro, Maida screwed up on the acoustic
guitar. Embarrassed, Maida asked the audience not to laugh because
he had been practicing the intro in the bus all day. It reflected
his most endearing humility.
The set ended with an encore of their song "Neon Crossing" and
the return of a scary old man with crazy hair onscreen. The old man
tried to climb a ladder but failed to meet the challenge. It left
the audience with a confusing yet symbolic image. But the audience
still went away impressed with the quality of sound Our Lady Peace
delivered.