Lyrics Born & The Coup tear the roof off of Neumo's

I've seen Lyrics Born many times, and lately he's been seeming a bit stale with all the remixes of "Later That Day...". That was a monumental album, but remixes only go so far before you start to lose interest in the artist (sorry LB, I hate to say that its true). The fact that The Coup was sharing the bill with him made it an unmissable show. Given that it was my birthday show and a lunar eclipse so expected big energy - I was not disappointed.

Let me digress for a moment and say that Neumo's strict security and relegation of the underage to the balcony WAS a big disappointment. They must have a lot of trouble there, because I haven't had such a thorough pat down and security check at a show that wasn't at a stadium. Neumo's is a breadbox, so you'd think security wouldn't be much of an issue. If I were underage, I'd have been pissed off to find that I'd paid full price to be stuck up in the rafters. They should reverse it and put the drunks upstairs so they aren't spilling their rum & cokes on true-believers. Let the kids on the floor, you bastards!

The Coup were wonderful - energetic, charismatic, and heavy on the improv. Boots Riley came into the audience to spread the fan love afterward (another reason under-agers should have floor presence - so they can meet their inspirations). After they played I thought we'd get a typically fly (if not redundant) show from LB. Imagine my surprise when he took the stage with a full back-up band and an equal presence with Joyo Velarde! I have to say that, while the repertoire of songs were the same, there was new life breathed into LB's performance. The whole band was fantastic, falling into James Brown riffs and other covers, however his bass player was exceptionally tight!

I left that show feeling elated, despite my disappointment with the Neumo's experience. LB renewed my faith and The Coup proved to be a band I would see again as a headliner. I will however, strongly reconsider another show at Neumo's. While I can deal with security, the age separation is an issue - all ages floors are more energetic.