Well, it’s not every weekend that you get to two bands as dissimilar as the Allman Brothers and the Ting Tings, nearly back to back. But that was the case as I took in the Allmans’ Beacon blowout on Saturday, followed by the Ting Tings’ Terminal 5 triumph on Monday. Both shows were excellent, even surprisingly so, despite my high expectations. Still, life is competition, there must be a winner. So I bring you: The Ting Tings vs. The Allman Brothers Band.
Venue:
New York’s finest art deco theatre vs. its newest rectangular erector set. Not even worth discussing.
Advantage: Allmans
Crowd:
The Ting Tings’ prime demographic is attractive, college age women, with the occasional douchey-looking frat boy mixed in. Of the 20% of the crowd that was not between the ages of 19 and 22, most were like myself or my friends: late 20s and digging on the Brit pop.
The Allmans draw in more of a male crowd, ranging from roadie-looking Dead Heads to Seth Rogan wannabe Phish phans. They know the music backwards and forwards, smoke a lot of weed and terribly miss Yogi’s.
Advantage: Ting Tings (Beauty counts, sorry guys.)
Opener:
The Allmans had no time for an opener. Rather, they chose to play more than three hours of music.
Hot Tub opened up for the Ting Tings.
The Ting Tings had Hot Tub open for them. The Oakland, CA “Beastie Girls” trio brought the shock and awe. Like them or not, the crowd did not blink through their entire half hour on the stage. They stage dove, tackled each other, pranced and rapped fem-hop over some old school beats. I don’t know if I’ll ever see them again, but I had to buy their shirt as a memento. I think I’ll enjoy it more than their album.
Advantage: T’ Ting
Full Ensemble:
The Ting Tings are now backed by the Fem Bots.
The Ting Tings are two people, both multi-instrumentalists, both talented. If you listen to the album, you might not immediately recognize the extent of Jules De Martino’s contributions, but they should not go overlooked. He’s a solid drummer and guitarist (often at once), but he also plays keys, bass and pre-programed beats off drum pads. I suspect he’ll someday be a highly sought-after producer. Katie White is the voice of the group and just exudes sex and sass. She’s like a young Gwen Stefani. Joining the pair on stage, of course, were the Fem Bots. I don’t know what they’re actually called, but four tall women in short multi-colored wigs came out playing saxes and brass. Fun stuff.
The Allman Brothers brought plenty of surprise guests to the stage.
The Allman Brothers bring seven men to the stage, all virtuosic in their abilities. You certainly don’t need me to describe the talents of Gregg, Warren, Derek, Oteil, Jaimoe, Marc and Butch. But that wasn’t all. On Saturday the 14th, they were joined by jazz legends Randy Brecker, Lenny White and Stanley Clarke on stage. Further, pedal steel master Robert Randolph (sans Family Band) sat in for a few as well.
Advantage: The Brothers Allman
Set:
Like I said, the Allman Brothers played for more than three hours. They mixed in old favorites like “Melissa” and “Elizabeth Reed,” under appreciated deep cuts like “Woman Across the River” and “Rocking Horse,” and covers, like the Dead’s “Lovelight” and Zeppelin’s “Dazed and Confused.” They had surprise guests and jaw dropping solos. Their only flaw was bringing out Stanley Clarke right as I got on the 10-minute line for the bathroom, thus causing me to miss his 5-minute performance.
The Ting Tings took a different route. They played the exact same show I saw the last time they were in New York. Only, they played it better. They got the crowd bumping, bouncing, gyrating and swaying. By the time we walked out of there, we were sweaty and exhilarated, if a bit worn out. They even tossed in a tease of a cover, with a snippet of the Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer.”
Advantage: Ladies and Gentlemen… The Allman Brother Band! (For what it’s worth, this is a ridiculous comparison. Whoever thought of this is an idiot! Still, credit to the Ting Tings for making the most of their very limited catalog.)
Conclusion:
Well, I like to think that a 3-2 verdict means that I’m the winner. Hell of a weekend with great performances by two (3!) very different bands. And if I include the Hot Tubs, I probably heard elements of nearly every imaginable style of Western music this weekend. And some Eastern influences as well. Can’t beat that.
