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09/04/2009 Cake (Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom)
By Eric | September 5, 2009 10:28 am
We shuffled off to Buffalo with Matt and Lisa to catch “An Evening With Cake” at the Town Ballroom. I’m liking this somewhat-recent trend of bands playing with no openers! We ended up camping out on the left side of the stage on the first raised tier, almost behind one of the tallest kids I’ve ever seen at a show. When I can’t see over someone, you know we’re talking tall! Anyway, after the cheesiest 80’s synth intro ever (something out of a Rocky training scene maybe?), Cake made their way onto the stage. John McCrea was in his unibomber get-up, with a tan coat, tan hat, and sunglasses. Classic. They opened with the cover of Black Sabbath’s War Pigs, and the crowd went nuts. The sold-out audience was hootin’ and hollerin’ all night, and that alone made this show even better than last years at the Rochester Armory. They went through Comfort Eagle, Frank Sinatra, Mexico, Wheels (one of my favorites!), and then a new song which I’m guessing is called It’s Been A Long Time. Switching from a song nobody knew to one that everybody knew, Short Skirt/Long Jacket was next, and McCrea did the “us vs. them” sing-a-long between the two sides of the venue. The place got loud! They ended the first set with Guitar, and took a short break.
After said break, Opera Singer was next, followed by another definite crowd-pleaser in Stickshifts and Safetybelts. They followed up with Shadow Stabbing, and then after describing Motorcade of Generosity as being released “before anyone here was even born!”, we got a double shot of Comanche and Rock ‘N Roll Lifestyle! They played Love You Madly next, and then gave away another apple tree. This time around, the band invited a bunch of teachers up on stage (self-proclaimed), and made them all do push-ups on stage! The last man standing (pushing?) won the tree, and was referenced and mocked for the rest of the night. Another new song followed, which we’ll call I’m So Sick Of You, which prompted another McCrea-led singalong in the crowd. Again, very loud! The second set closed with Never There.
The crowd never quieted during the encore break, and the cheers only got louder as the band came back on, and McCrea mentioned that the next song was the biggest issue facing the country right now. Pentagram! Another Motorcade song followed, with Jolene, and then everyone left happy after The Distance. Wait, check that. The band wasn’t quite done yet, although they faked out a good number of people, including us! We’re milling around in the lobby, and the band appears on the big screen, busting out Arco Arena! We piled back in and saw the end of that and then the for-real closer, Sheep Go To Heaven. This was definitely one of those shows where the smile never really leaves your face, and its a good-time vibe throughout. We had a blast!
Set 1
—–
War pigs
Comfort Eagle
Frank Sinatra
Mexico
Wheels
It’s Been A Long Time (new)
Short Skirt / Long Jacket
Guitar
Set 2
—–
Opera Singer
Stickshifts & Safetybelts
Shadow Stabbing
Comanche
Rock N Roll Lifestyle
Love You Madly
I’m So Sick Of You (new)
Never There
Encore 1
——–
Pentagram
Jolene
The Distance
Encore 2
——–
Arco Arena
Sheep Go To Heaven
Topics: Concerts | Tags: 2009, Buffalo, Cake, Town Ballroom | Comments Off on 09/04/2009 Cake (Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom)
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