Hometown heroes: Barcelona at The Crocodile

So, the last time I saw my favorite band Barcelona was waaaay back, last June at their Marymoor Park concert.  I know, that's not THAT long ago, but it sure felt like it.  When I heard they would be playing the legendary Crocodile in Seattle on November 19th, I was very excited.  As usual, I took advantage of my guest list privileges to get in.  Try as I must, I couldn't find anyone to accompany me, but I wasn't alone.  I met up with a friend I had attended a Barcelona show with last spring.  It's always more fun to attend a concert with someone.  And, it's also nice to follow a band who will do local shows fairly frequently.

I left home early enough to miss rush hour traffic and had a Happy Hour dinner at The Crocodile's Back Bar.  I asked a security guy about the guest list, and he told me to check in at the box office when it opened.  But, when I tried to do that, I was told Barcelona hadn't submitted their guest list yet.  So, I had to wait for them to finish their soundcheck.  I was standing near the entrance to venue's music hall when who should walk in the door but Barcelona front man, Brian Fennell.  He greeted me with a hug, and I introduced him to my friend, Robin.  I told Brian about the missing guest list, and before he could act on that, the friendly security guy...who overheard the conversation...immediately gave me the required hand stamp.  Shortly after that, Branden Cate...who does keyboards and backup vocals for the band...entered and enthusiastically greeted me.

When doors opened, Robin and I grabbed a good vantage point in front of the stage.  The first opening act was Water Monster from Spokane, WA, who is really just a solo artist, Max Harnishfeger.  His electronic sounds were catchy, and a good way to start the evening.

The second opener was the band Arkomo, led by lead singer Sam Anderson.  The incorporation of a cello in his electronic-experimental style of music was refreshing, but it didn't take long for me to start yearning for the headliner.

Barcelona took the stage to an enthusiastic hometown welcome.  Brian wasted no time getting the party started with one of my fave songs, Paper Lion.  His great guitar vibes, drummer Rhett Stonelake's dependable beats and Branden's awesome keyboard work set the tone for the night.

I really appreciated the fact that Barcelona played most of the songs off their new album, The Melodrama.  I know fans like to hear the old stuff, and many artists give in to that desire.  But, true fans should listen to the newer material and embrace what they hear.  I, for one, love Barcelona's new songs, even though some of it might be a departure from their earlier roots.  Here is the night's setlist:

Paper Lion
Sick
Diamond and Silver
It's About Time
Drop Everything
Fall In Love
Lose Control
On/Off
Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper cover)
Come Back When You Can
Strange Way
Cure
Background

Encore:
I Choose You
Please Don't Go

As I exited The Crocodile after the show, rain was lightly falling.  I didn't find it depressing...I was still pumped up from a thoroughly fantastic night of music, courtesy of Barcelona.  Not wanting that feeling to end, I made the 1 1/2 hour drive back to Bellingham playing their tunes on the car stereo.  Needless to say, I can't wait till the next Barcelona concert.  See you in 2015!