We know how he feels

  • We know how he feels

The Pick Up the Phone Tour, which came to House of Blues last night, started with a snore.

Openers Hurricane Bells and Stars of Track and Field’s sets were the aural equivalent of taking massive amounts of Ambien. Their respective sets managed to put the audience in a catatonic mood, disabling most fans’ ability to applaud or generate much enthusiasm for the bands’ love songs and lullabies.

But all that changed once headliners Blue October took the stage. At the start of set opener “She’s My Ride,” frontman Justin Furstenfeld was pumped, running back and forth onstage and absorbing the energy of the crowd.

Things took a turn after the fourth song, “Dirt Room.” Furstenfeld then spent most of the rest of the show leaning down to sing to the audience, shake hands, pass out guitar picks, and pose for pictures. I think his medication was starting kick in.

But he did stand up during all the dramatic power-chord moments, even getting into the spirit of “Jump Rope” by, yep, jumping. But by the end of the show he was completely sitting down.

Still, nobody seemed to mind the overly relaxed Furstenfeld — his fans were just happy that he showed up this time (the tour was originally scheduled for last fall, but a severe anxiety attack grounded the bipolar singer).

At least violinist Ryan Delahoussaye was a mad man throughout the night. He performed a solo at the beginning of the encore that was terrifically sick. He laid his signature pizzicato technique on top of dark chamber music that was as exquisite as it was entertaining.

Besides a few predictable words about the message at the center of this get-help tour, Blue October played a pretty solid set that echoed the strength of their best records. —Kristan Tybuszewski

This article appears in Apr 14-20, 2010.

13 replies on “Concert Review: Blue October at House of Blues”

  1. “the aural equivalents of taking massive amounts of ambien” is the statement of the week. well written.

  2. Missed the first band but the second was a total snooze fest. I enjoyed Blue October. It was my first time seeing them perform. The lead singer was very charismatic and I really enjoyed Dirt Room. But I agree the violinist was the best part of the show.

  5. I’m a long time fan of Blue October, and have seen them many times, starting with the Consent to Treatment tour, and this is NOT the same Blue October.
    Whereas the band put on a good show as always, the energy wasn’t the same. The music was very controlled, everyone was at the “perfect level” to provide a good mix. Justin doesn’t sing any of the old stuff anymore, all he does is yell into the microphone, and the new music is overproduced, pop crap compared to History For Sale and Consent to Treatment.
    So if you’re a new fan of Blue October, congrats for finding them, but you missed the boat by a couple of albums.
    Good luck Blue October! I hope things continue to go well for you and you continue to sell out shows….but I won’t be there.

  6. You’re right, that old grey nag she ain’t what she used to be, ain’t what she used to be…you get the idea.

    Oh, well, psychiatrists prescribe uppers, too!

  7. You’re insane! Blue October is better than they’ve ever been, and they should be praised for supporting a cause they really believe in!

  9. They should most definitely be praised for supporting a cause they believe in. The shows just have a different feel than they used to, and it’s not for me, but I still commend them, respect them and wish them the best.

  10. The show was amazing! The guys always put thier best into every show. I hope they keep coming back to Ohio.
    As to they are not the same band as they use to be stuff…well duh..all bands evolve and change over time..but I feel these guys are still putting out the same kick ass music as they always have.
    To each there own..if you get it you do, if you dont then ……

  13. I’ve seen BO numerous times (Chicago, Detroit, Austin, Louisville, Atlanta, Orlando,and more). so I think I can say there was something definitely missing at the recent Columbus and Cleveland shows. They are still a great band and are supporting a good cause but maybe they are getting a little burned out after so much touring recently. For those of us use to the after show interaction with the band, in Columbus and Cleveland, it seemed more perfunctory (look up definition) then sincere.

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