Ted Leo @ First Ave
Source: morecowbell.net
The last week (along with this current week) have just been ridiculous in terms of the amount of great shows to see in the Twin Cities, so here’s a bit of catching up…
Photo by Stacy Sandstrom
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists @ First Ave – 4/25
Ted Leo made his return to First Avenue supporting his new record, ‘Living With The Living’. This was my first time in almost 4 years seeing Ted (last time was at the Triple Rock with the amazing Sea Ray (R.I.P.) opening.) While Ted’s new record hasn’t really sunk in fully with me like his previous 3 proper records, the new songs sounded a lot better and more energetic live (no surprise there).
Early on the set was marred by an array of technical problems, which forced Ted to go sans guitar for a couple songs. But the problems actually brought the energy level way up after Ted dove on top of the crowd to crowd surf for a good portion of a song and not missing a single lyric in the process.
Even despite all the tech problems and Ted’s voice (which he apologized for early on, but I still thought sounded pretty damn good), the show was nothing short of great. I also really enjoyed the fact that the Pharmacists are a 4-piece again, as James added some nice touches as well as providing a ton of help while Ted’s guitar woes were settled. Here’s hoping that my next time seeing Ted isn’t in 2010.
Read Stacy Sandstrom’s more in depth review and see her fabulous photos here
