Halloween Ain't No Joke

So I spent last evening at the Crofoot for the "Creepy Cheapy Halloween Spectacular Shiny Shiny Fun Good Times Spectacular." I actually woke up this morning because I couldn't stop thinking about what bands I wanted to see these bands be next year. That's the kind of nerd I am. But here's my quick recap so I can get it out of my brain and move on with my day.

Silverghost/Devo
Devo is a perfect choice for Silverghost and their entire set was totally fun. Dressing the part with the look from the "Whip It" video (complete with little red flower pot hats), they opened with "Girl U Want" which is one of my childhood favorites. I am pretty sure I had the 7" of this one as a child. Perfect way to start off the night.
Laura's picks for Silverghost next Halloween: B-52's, Blondie, Gary Numan

Bars Of Gold/Talking Heads
Up until they started playing, I was under the impression that it would be Wildcatting, but it is my understanding that Bars Of Gold are a Wildcatting related project, so this is acceptable. I love the Talking Heads and from the very first song was really impressed by the Bars Of Gold version of the band. During "Once In a Lifetime" they invited Silverghost/Devo on stage, which led to a fantastic music geek moment. The Crofoot's own Greg Baise came up to me and said, "The choreographer of the 'Once In a Lifetime' video was a singer/dancer/choreographer named Toni Basil. And Devo was the backing band on her first album!" He then pointed at the stage smiling and said, "they probably don't even realize it!" This is why, when I finally make it out to PJ's Lager House for quiz night, Greg is totally on my team.
Laura's picks for Bars Of Gold next Halloween: Roxy Music, Jane's Addiction

Prussia/Velvet Underground
Although I know I lose valuable music snobbery points, I have to confess - I just don't care much for the Velvet Underground. Sure a handful of songs and certainly some of Lou Reed's solo work, but overall I've never really gotten it. Prussia did an admirable job and I had a lot of fun watching them play - mostly because I just love Prussia. I was happy that they closed their VU set with "If You Close the Door" because that's actually one of the few songs by them that I love. Moe Tucker just sounds so earnest and cute and it's such a simple song.
Laura's picks for Prussia next Halloween: Of Montreal, The Pixies, The Replacements

Allan James & the Cold Wave/Weezer
Outside of their first record, I don't really care about Weezer. But that first record was fantastic and a staple in my formative years. Dressed in brown cardigans ala the "Buddy Holly" video, Allan James and Co. were adorable. They even had a big light up Weezer "W" behind them. They opened with a spot on version of "My Name Is Jonas" that actually brought a nostalgic lump to my throat. Their whole set was great - if they wanted to like, work the Weezer cover band circuit for a living, they totally could. Ryan Allen's Weezer guitar work was amazing. Is there a Weezer "Guitar Hero?" If so, don't play him. Ever.
Laura's picks for Allan James & the Cold Wave next Halloween: Elvis Costello & the Attractions, Superchunk, The Cars

Marco Polio & the New Vaccines/The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
I didn't get to see a lot of their set. If an announcement hadn't been made from the ballroom stage that they were, at that moment, playing in the Pike Room, I would've missed it. But what I did see was great - I don't know the Yeah Yeah Yeahs stuff enough to really know how "well" they were covering the songs - but it was a fun, screamy frenetic mess which made some people turn around and leave. It was pretty awesome stuff. I need to see these guys more often.
Laura's picks for Marco Polio & the New Vaccines next Halloween: My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails

Child Bite/Rage Against the Machine
I was never a Rage Against the Machine fan. Something about seeing a whole bunch of angry while kids in Che Guevara t-shirts running around screaming "Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me!" just never really appealed to me. I also think that's the only song by them I really know. I missed Child Bite's infamous Nirvana performance last year and didn't want to miss them two years in a row. They wasted no time and started right into "Killing In the Name" and it sounded awesome. I didn't know sax could fit so well into a Rage Against the Machine set, but it was sweet. I figured the crowd would be wild, but holy shit. They lost their minds. There's something particularly insane about seeing Mr. Bill with both middle fingers up in the air as Bert (I'm guessing Ernie's more into twee pop) slam dances with Mario and Luigi. I think slam dancing is the release of latent homosexual tension. Thankfully I don't have any of that so I don't have to engage in such things. Also, props to Shawn Knight for recreating bassist Tim Commerford's sleeve tattoos. Nice touch.
Laura's picks for Child Bite next Halloween: Faith No More, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tool