arctic monkeys • NYC

Our transatlantic lads, hailing from Sheffield put on a decent show last night at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.
The ratio of brits to yanks in the crowd was about 2:1 and the excitement level was at a mellow bell high (ding!) Be Your Own Pet, fronted by a white blonde burst of energy, movement, screams and tits was the opener. During their last song, they pulled someone out of the crowd and he ran amok on stage, drumming with the drummer, propping the singer on his shoulders, then bouncing right back into the audience. When the band was done they all fell to the ground with their instruments. Music wasn't that awesome but they pumped us up right. Monkeys came out to cheers and soccer chants and the mini shove pit started rumbling a little. 'Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor' started things nicely - along with 'Fake Tales Of San Francisco' and 'Dancing Shoes' but I must admit I was a bit down trodden. No '505', no 'Mardy Bum'.

I really think the band wasn't that thrilled with the crowd - I really think they wanted more ruckus, more damage - it was actually tame and me and my friends were right in the thick of it. Therefore, no encore, no amazing defining moment like most shows have where everyone is on the same page and that special zing of magic hugs the lot of us. It was a run of the mill show, but fun in that regular sort of way. I bet shows in the U.K. are more dazzling : or at least I hope so.

2 puffs of smoke ~ ~