Last Night: Smashing Pumpkins, Social D., Bright Eyes, and More at EndFest

Jodi "Patch Lady" Marks, from Gig Harbor, has been to almost all of the 16 EndFests. She currently boasts 130 patches collected over a decade, and agrees with me that EndFest should return to Bremerton, its long-time home. She came to EndFest 16 to see the Smashing Pumpkins and Social Distortion. All photos by Marcella D. Volpintesta.

EndFest 16, featuring the Smashing Pumpkins, Social D., Bright Eyes, Perry Farrell's Satellite Party, The Used, Minus the Bear, and more.
Saturday, Sept. 22, 2007
Qwest Field Parking Lot
Better Than: 106.1's Jingle Bell Bash

Notes:

The Smashing Pumpkins

We were there for the hits. Sure, Zeitgeist, the band's new album, has been very well received. But the crowd (myself included), merely put up with the new material in hope of a nugget from the '90s. That's really what the festival is all about, the '90s, a time when The End was pumping out hitmakers (see, they're still tapping old hats like Corgan, Farrell), and landing key spots on then-current shows like "The Real World."

Leader Billy Corgan, drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, and the assembled fill-ins for James Iha and D'Arcy, indulged us with a few classics, from "Bullets With Butterfly Wings," to "Today." But they did it with with the intensity of what I was expecting from Bright Eyes. They could have played this show at the Triple Door.

Paramore

I can't get into this band. I did her hair, but they epitomize a genre created by alt-rock radio to slip between tracks by Incubus and Stained. Their live show hit all the cliches, too: ambiguous flailing, half-tossed equipment, and generic (though heartfelt) crowd interaction. I'd probably really dig this band if there were no cover, and Pabst was a dollar.

Shiny Toy Guys

I missed the set because I stopped off in Pioneer Square to grab a bagel. Judging from what I heard from Marchella, our photographer, my bagel was a hell of a lot better.

Bright Eyes

Loved it. I was preparing for mopey, instead I got a killer set in which Connor Oberst beat his amplifier into submission, and confessed that he'd never seen the Smashing Pumpkins before, but that "Halloween is coming."

Social Distortion

Meh.

Minus the Bear

I've always wanted to like this band. Still don't.

Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground

My hat goes off to anyone who can heard of 13 musicians, and produce a product of this caliber. With the logistics down, now he just need to figure out what he's going to doing with the firepower. The music's not bad, but it could have been accomplished with, say, have the staff. Rather than cutbacks, let's see theatrics, less smirks, and a wall of sound.

8 comment(s) / Comment

Keegan says:

\"There are certain things Mr. Farrell can do that the average hippie can\'t: burrying his face in a pair breasts on stage, and butchering \"Jane Says\" to rabid applause are among them.\"

Awesome.

And I comnpletely agree with your assesment of Minus the Bear.

Posted On: Monday, Sep. 24 2007 @ 8:13AM

Debbie says:

How funny was it when Ms. Farrell wanted us to give it up for Bellevue, and well, got boo\'d?!

Posted On: Monday, Sep. 24 2007 @ 8:41AM

Chris Kornelis says:

Debbie, that was classic!I guess that\'s where Mrs. Farrell hails from.

Posted On: Monday, Sep. 24 2007 @ 10:22AM

Tyne says:

Chris, I agree with your comments re: the pumpkins. But bright eyes disappointed me. I really enjoy them, but they didn\'t have much of a set.

Posted On: Monday, Sep. 24 2007 @ 5:11PM

bdogg says:

At least get the name of SP\'s most commercially popular song right. . . Its \"BULLET with butterfly wings\" Not BULLETS.

I f\'ing hate blogs, or whatever the hell you call this. . . .but thanks for the review.

Posted On: Friday, Sep. 28 2007 @ 12:37AM

Tez says:

you suck. minus the bear are sick. so are paramore. you have very bad music taste. dick head

Posted On: Monday, Dec. 10 2007 @ 1:38PM

Maddy says:

I would have to disagree with your assesment of Paramore. I hear they are really good live and they are my favorite band.

Posted On: Friday, Jan. 18 2008 @ 1:11PM

kelli says:

paramore puts on an awesome live performace, you are just a bit too quick to judge man...

Posted On: Wednesday, Jan. 30 2008 @ 3:43PM

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