Bloc Party 2013. The Crowd makes a Difference.
Let me first start out by saying, Bloc Party, is my favorite band, in the the WHOLE world. I’ve been waiting to see them live for over 4 years (pretty much since I found out about them and rising jealousy over my sister nonchalantly seeing them twice, last night was the third for her). Over this course of 5 years I’ve become obsessed with them and have listened to ALL of their released material, (vaguely listened to the B side of A Weekend in the City, but they never play that material).
Now. With that said, Bloc Party, Portland. May 24th, 2013. I’ve been short term waiting for that show since I picked up the tickets back in February. I’m gonna admit, living in Ashland, Oregon (on literally the extreme opposite end of the state here) had a little bit of poor planning trying to make it up to the show and wasn’t even sure if I was going to make the show. FThankfully I ended up getting in there about 5 minutes before Bloc Party went on stage after an impromptu greyhound bus to Eugene, and a delayed ride from there. Very poor planning for a very important day in my life.
Now lets cut the background, and get straight to the Point here. I’ve had 5 years of dance and hardcore love for Bloc Party stuck in my bones. I’m going to dance and rock my heart out. I go into this ballroom and squeeze my way up to this like weird middle front area with a semi good view of the Band. So, Bloc Party starts playing, and Its Real Talk, not my favorite, but still I like it and I’m jamming out.
Everyone stands like statues around me. I quickly go through this internal internal dialogue of how hard to jam out in a boring crowd, and I kind of contain myself for like 1 and 1/2 songs. By the second song I was starting to get some funny looks from a bunch of, “hip” looking people in my vicinity. Kinda quelled my excitement for a split second– and then it hit me: This is a once in a lifetime like opportunity. An I going to let these posers around me dictate wether or not I’m going to enjoy myself? Hi I’m most likely never going to see again in my life?
NO.
At tha moment I just snapped and I was rocking out hardcore. Then the looks really started pouring in from all angles. All I could’ve thought at that moment was: You’re Not Ruining My Parade. I jammed out to every single song hardcore. When Coliseum hit, man I just went into the zone and I swear unfelt a circle of space form around me because I was just all over the place. I think I was responsible for the Mosh Pit on Price of Gas. And I was the human ping pong ball in Ares. The point is, I really just let loose and didn’t care after a point and did my own thing. I was drenched in swear by the end of the night.
Now:
The crowd. The Crowd The Crowd The Crowd.
I understand you may just be going to the concert for the experience or maybe something to do, or maybe because you really liked one of there older albums like silent alarm (more on that later, but still you must understand that there’s going to be a handful of people like myself who just want to rock out hardcore. Don’t sit there and shoot people funny looks because there trying to enjoy themselves and get there time with this glorious bands worth. Don’t try and look uncomfortable and be mad that people are bumping into you because your in the wrong venue and definitely the wrong spot to even try and look uncomfortable and mad. I admit, I participated in the mosh pit because the crowd was pissing me off and I had an excuse to shove and push people. I think one kid caught on at some point and tried to give me an extra shove after I had done the same. Looking back now, the whole experience was fun, but…. These crowds…….. These crowds kill me………. Ive made a decision that i will NEVER see Bloc Party live again in the US. I wan to see them live, but sfter reviewing dozens and dozens of live Bloc Party videos, the best crowds are in the UK… Portland was so lame last night. think I’m done rantin– wait, to the Bro Douche who was like “Man I just want some silent alarm, f— this new stuff where’s that silent Alarm at!”
No. There’s such thing as progress. And to expand not only your fan base and yourself musically, you have to be able to expand your style and change, while still of course keeping your unique sound and style which they have. Personally I think Four Material is very comparable and as amazing as Silent Alarm.
Wish they played Kettling though… ;'{
Ok I’m done officially.
Enjoy.
liquidstreaks 
Crowd was awful. I was near you up front. Silent alarm tracks definitely brought people out more, but it was still a tame crowd at best. I wanted to try and help liven things up but there were maybe 5 other people who wanted to so I just gave up and danced around in my little bubble.
Hippyish dude fist pumping was a relief to see when he pushed his way up front 😛
I hate recording shit at concerts but I said fuck it for this modern love and got almost all of the song here
Yeah that’s good man! The crowd was very very crappy, and as seen above I was very pissed off from there lack of energy, all the people that actually seemed to look like they were enjoying themselves were to my right and up to the front by the split in the middle. I’m sooo glad I got a vid of Gordon singing the chorus to Waiting for the 7:18 because his voice was really amazing, never realized it was that good! And man I was jamming out to every song and new every word to all of them! An I’m with you on the phone/ video thing, I was limiting myself, but at the same time, I had to pay my friend back for sending me live vids from his concert back in January with some vids from this concert, but I stopped after waiting for the 7:18. I really wish they played Kettling though!!
We got lucky on a few of those songs though apparently price of gas hasnt been played in a long time and it seems they either play so here we are or so he begins to lie, so I was surprised to get both. If you could help out and maybe remember some of the setlist over at setlist.fm thatd be cool too.
Yeah man I think I remember! First they played Real Talk, then they played Team A, helicopter, Flux, Mercury, Ares, a new song called Montreal, Coliseum, Song for Clay (disappear here), this Modern Love, So He Begins to Lie, Day Four… And that’s all I can think of, but that’s pretty much it minus one new Song that I forgot the name to
sounds like a hipster crowd to me 🙂
was montreal the only new song they played? seems to be some confusion on setlist.fm regarding the exact set they played. sometimes they change it up between what they have on paper. did they play ratchet as well? if you havent heard that one, check it out on youtube
I agree with this whole post! The crowd was crap for the majority of the first half. I was lucky enough to get up front to the right. Bloc Party is my all time favourite band and I loved all the eye contact I got. Every single song I tried to get the people around me going but those hipsters liked just bopping their heads because as Kele puts it Portland people are just too nice to each other. After the second song and when no one else was getting into it, I thought to myself “If no one else is going to get this party started then I will!” Eventually it caught on with the people around me that this show isn’t going to be great just because Bloc Party plays a great show, as a crowd we have a job to do as well. I think is partly the reason why Kele pointed the mic directly at me when he was amping up the crowd. And then when they played Coliseum I thrashed against everyone as hard as I could to get them going even more. Man, Coliseum was most defiantly my favourite song of the entire night. But, the thing that pissed off me of the most was the lack of enthusiasm during the break between the encores, I was literally about the start beating up the first hipster douche closest to me, but I turned that frustration into just clapping as loud as I could and doing my job to get the encore screams going. If it wasn’t for me and the other Bloc Party diehards I don’t think we would have gotten to the point to hear the new song and gotten to “This Modern Love”.
Basically everyone needs to remember that it is 50% the bands job to play well and 50% the crowds job to party hard. The band reflects how crazy the crowd is.
Yyyyyeeeesssss I cannot agree with this anymore! No I swear they noticed me! I wish I had the guts to be a douche and push my way to the front, but they definitely made eye contact with me ;’} and yeah it is also the crowds job, he pointed the mic in my direction during one of the crowd singing parts because my side was so dead. And yes Long Live Bloc Party. #1 favorite band in world.
You should have pushed your way up to the front! You shouldn’t worry about being a douche, especially when the end game is going to make the whole crowds experience better. I guarantee you if you got up to where I was I would have looked at you and there would been this mutual telepathy that we were both here to have a good time. The more people that you have around rocking their hearts out increases your own personal experience tenfold.
I would’ve been among friends ;’}} no seriously I really wish there was more of us because that crowd was too lame and bland, and now I know for the future to just push my way up!! Man such a good show though, I really love the unreleased song Montreal they played, obsessed to the max now