Margaret BauerConcert quality varies from city to city: You might be used to New York, where the Rolling Stones, Sonic Youth, the Cure and John Lennon’s reanimated corpse jam together for free every weekend, or Memphis, TN, which was lucky to get the Foghat reunion tour this summer. St. Louis lies somewhere in the middle of this spectrum, with plenty of good independent acts, a smattering of upper-tier hip-hop shows, and a few big (and pricey) blockbusters. They’re all contained here in our biannual concert calendar, your source for the best shows of Fall Semester 2004. Tack this sucker to your wall and circle the shows that appeal most to you. Let the sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll commence!
Fall 2004
Monday, September 13
Ambulance LTD & The Killers
Mississippi Nights
Two indie acts on the rise, Ambulance LTD and the Killers will provide all sorts of hip retro styles this upcoming Monday (one pays tribute to early ’90s shoegazer rock, the other Depeche Mode-style synth-pop). Nota bene: The Killers actually played at the University’s Gargoyle last year, with little or no hype, and are now returning strengthened by the success of their single “Somebody Told Me.” You’ll probably never hear of headlining act stellastarr* again.
Doors open at 6 p.m., $10.57 advance/$12 at the door, all ages
Wednesday, September 15
Wilco w/ Calexico
The Fox Theatre
The “It” band of the past few years, Wilco (which is really just lead singer Jeff Tweedy with a rotating cast of thousands) continues to churn out skewed pop and alt-country flavor. Now on tour supporting their latest masterwork, “A Ghost Is Born,” they’ve upped the ante from the college-friendly confines of the Pageant to the bourgeois aisles of the Fox Theatre. Expect a good performance no matter what. Openers Calexico are known for the combination of rock and spaghetti Western film scores.
Doors open at 8 p.m., $35, all ages
Saturday, September 18
Usher & Kanye West w/ Christina Milian and J-Kwon
Savvis Center
These are my confessions-Usher might have had two different hit singles using basically the same song (“Confessions” and “Burn”), but his bedroom R&B is still better than most. And you know you’re always ready to get down to “Yeah.” Kanye West is, of course, the Louis Vuitton Don and the most self-important person in the rap industry right now, and that’s saying a hell of a lot. Christina Milian and J-Kwon are as ephemeral as disposable diapers and about as pleasant.
Show starts at 8 p.m., $60.50/$47.50, all ages
Friday, September 24
Sound Tribe Sector 9
Mississippi Nights
For the remaining hippies out there (R.I.P. Phish), there’s Sound Tribe Sector 9, a “jam band” (forgive the categorization) that combines electronic beats and organic, free-form fluidity. A mainstay at the Bonnaroo music festival for the past few years, the Tribe has consistently laid down the funk for the freaky faithful. The Tribe’s got the vibe on September 24.
Doors open at 7 p.m., show starts at 8, $12 advance/$14 at the door, all ages
Saturday, September 25
Metallica w/ Godsmack
Savvis Center
Although now more a corporation than an actual band, Metallica still has their enormous back catalog of anthemic heavy metal to keep the audience happy. With the release of the telling documentary “Some Kind of Monster,” it’ll be even more intriguing to watch four gigantic egos interact on stage. Just don’t download the show off Kazaa, or the Napster Fairy Lars Ulrich will come into your dorm at night and crawl all over your face.
Show starts at 7:30 p.m., $75/$55, all ages
Wednesday, September 29
Taking Back Sunday w/ Matchbook Romance and Fall Out Boy
Pop’s
Emo will reign supreme just across the Mississippi river on the 29th when Taking Back Sunday takes the stage. The New York band has it all: a three-word name that includes some sort of verbal noun/object construction (see also: New Found Glory, Saves the Day), sung/screamed vocals, and plenty of angst. Newcomers Matchbook Romance and Fall Out Boy will try their best to equal TBS’s pop-punk moxie.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m., show starts at 7, $16.50 advance/$19 at the door, all ages
Tuesday, October 5
Pearl Jam w/ Death Cab for Cutie
The Fox Theatre
One faction of Moveon.org’s “Vote for Change” tour, Pearl Jam and Death Cab For Cutie will bring two generations of alternative rock to the Fabulous Fox. For all those who missed Pearl Jam in their heyday, now’s your chance, and current Death Cab/Postal Service fans can swoon over Ben Gibbard’s distinctive lyrics and vocals.
Show starts at 7 p.m., $52.50, all ages
Wednesday, October 13
Enon & Black Heart Procession
Off Broadway
Independent rock bands have been making strides into the popular sphere lately. Modest Mouse, Wilco, and the Flaming Lips are basically household names at this point. Not so with Enon and Black Heart Procession, who continue to remain “indie as fuck.” If you yearn for the days of knowing you were cooler than everyone else by going to hear a little-known band, for God’s sake, hit up this show. Oh, and the bands are both great, too. Enon continues the tradition of Brainiac, while Black Heart Procession specializes in moody, Spanish-tinged lamentations.
Show starts at 9 p.m., $10 advance/$12 at the door, ages 21+
Tuesday, October 19
The Decemberists
Blueberry Hill Duck Room
The Decemberists are the Wes Andersons of the music world, fusing literacy and quirkiness into an intellectual yet digestible package of preciousness. They’ll be bringing their world of odalisques, sea shanties and chimbly sweeps to Blue Hill’s Duck Room in mid-October. For those who missed ’90s pioneers Neutral Milk Hotel, the Decemberists’ Colin Meloy is probably the closest you’ll get to Jeff Mangum. Plus, he’s less crazy. Those looking to increase their vocabulary should note the band’s use of the words “balustrade,” “oligarch” and “moribund.”
Time and price TBA, ages 21+
R.E.M. w/ Now It’s Overhead
The Fox Theatre
If there’s one band we’ve all grown up with, it’s R.E.M. Their first album dropped around the time of our births, and we’ve been following their evolution, through “It’s the End of the World as We Know It” and “Shiny, Happy People” and “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” and “The Great Beyond” ever since. Perhaps it’s time to give them their due. Openers Now It’s Overhead, along with having a rather silly name, hail from Bright Eyes’ Saddle Creek Records but sound like the Cure.
Show starts at 7:30 p.m., $65/$55/$45, all ages
Friday, October 22
Norah Jones
Savvis Center
Come away with Norah Jones on October 22 and relax to the sounds of her much-lauded jazz vocal stylings. Don’t know why she chose to play in such an impersonal setting, but no doubt she’ll make it feel like home. And the Norah Jones song puns will end…now.
Show starts at 8 p.m., $56/$46/$26.50, all ages
Saturday, October 23
Jay-Z & R. Kelly
Savvis Center
Everyone knows Jay-Z’s got 99 problems but a-ahem-lady ain’t one. Unfortunately for R. Kelly, he’s got one big problem (actually, 21 counts of it) involving one certain female. But that won’t stop these giants of the urban airwaves from uniting on the “Best of Both Worlds” tour, based on an album recorded in 2002. (Kelly’s had some hang-ups since then, to say the least.) Now, with “The Black Album” and “U Saved Me/Happy People” to their respective credit, the hits will just keep on flowin’. Get ready to bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce.
Show starts at 8 p.m., $65/$47.50/$35, all ages
Sunday, October 31
Slayer w/ Mastodon and Killswitch Engage
The Pageant
Do you feel like doing something really scary on Halloween? Don your oldest heavy metal t-shirt and head down to the Pageant for a true parade of horrors as Slayer teams up with prog-metal monsters Mastodon and all-around frightening people Killswitch Engage. Survive the show and you can go trick-or-treating as a trainwreck survivor. Just remember kids, God hates us all!
Doors open at 6 p.m., show starts at 7, $25, all ages