Gothamist's Week in Rock, Volume 14
Irving Plaza is Officially (and Inexplicably) Rebranded
On the night Lily Allen played her first post-bloghype show in New York, the ad wizards at Live Nation decided to officially rename the place The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza and drop some fake pseudo-hippie nostalgia to an already otherwise storied venue. It's an embarrassing and senseless stunt thought up by past their prime marketers in an attempt to make a consistent nationwide brand under the Live Nation umbrella. Irving Plaza is, and has been for a while, often the first step for a band that has grown out of its grassroots support and has begun its assault on the mainstream. So while the name change is really just that, it's another clear-cut sign that the homogenization of the New York rock scene in full effect. Any band playing at this new Fillmore now holds an even greater disconnect from the local scene that likely helped get them where they are in the first place. We hope the larger VIP section is worth it.
The Faint to Play Motherf***er at...Webster Hall?
Our first reaction was "Sweet! The Faint are coming back to New York!" Our second reaction was "Oh cool, it's for the Memorial Day Motherf***er." Then it was, "Wait...Motherf***er is at Webster Hall?" How did it come to this? Our most memorable MF experiences have always been at The Roxy (The Bloc Party show on Presidents' Day weekend '05 was one of the most exciting shows we've ever attended), but that place is closed. Avalon did a fine job hosting recently, but its been shuttered too. Those smaller midtown spots like Eugene never had the right feel to them. Come to think of it, maybe Webster Hall is the best of what’s left? Lots of rooms, big concert space, good location...not unlike the previously mentioned clubs. The problems associated with Webster are usually with regular clientele rather than the place itself. Hopefully the always interesting Motherf***er crowd can make us all forget about all the greasy B&T vibes.
The Libertines Have Reunited!
Can't really find the New York angle here, but the news is too big to pass on. The Libertines are back together! Pete and Carl, at least. They played 13 songs together at a show in London last night. Liveblog-style details at NME, natch. For nostalgia sake, here's a video of the band at CBGB in '03. Knowing Doherty’s persistent legal troubles, it might be quite a while before we see this again around here.
