Placebo
The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
April 23, 2007

I've seen Placebo about four or five times now, and my experiences with them have fallen into a familiar pattern. The English trio are not a group that i tend to dote on in casual listening, but each time i see them live i come away wondering why that is. I love the heavy, moody atmospherics the band specializes in, and although in any other context i'm fairly certain i would detest Brian Molko's nasal whine, in this milieu it works wonders. V and i rendez-voused at the Fillmore to catch the band in support of their latest album Meds, prior to their trek down to the desert for the Coachella festival. That this show didn't follow my usual Placebo blueprint is probably attributable to my post-LA exhaustion than any deficit on their part. As usual, the band created an impressive wall of sound that belied the number of people actually on stage. While the set did feature a rousing rendition of "Special K", i was a bit miffed that there was no "Pure Morning" or "Taste in Men". I didn't recognize much, which could mean that the performance dwelled on more recent songs. Placebo's penchant for covers was evident, as during their encore we got a somewhat stripped version of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill". Neither V or i are huge Kate Bush fans though, so this didn't particularly color our perception of the show. In retrospect, i'm hesitant to accuse the band of a lackluster performance as i'm unsure of whether i would've been juiced for any act, let alone one that i continue to underrate.

login to submit comments