It’s not easy being an opening band. If you’re lucky you are playing to a half empty venue with people filtering in and out. As you start to play you may notice the house lights are on and you may even be distracted by the murmur of the crowd. In most cases these fans are not there for you but for the band you are opening for. For some bands opening can be like giving a presentation in high school right before lunch. No one is really interested in what you are saying instead they are starring at the clock counting down the minutes.
There are a lot of different ways bands can react to this situation and in my experience as a concert goer I have seen quite a few. Some bands acknowledge what is happening and attempt to make light of it. A few years ago I saw The National open for Modest Mouse at a fairly empty Molson Amphitheater. Lead singer Matt Berninger, laughed it off and made witty comments about the lack of audience members throughout their set. Other bands can react much more negatively. I once saw Hayden opening for Feist at the ACC. The crowd was restless and inattentive which seemed to irritate Hayden. Throughout his set he made sarcastic comments about how long he had been in the industry and even poked fun at one of Feist’s songs. He may not have intended it, but, he came off as bitter, making it difficult to enjoy his set. The best way for a band to deal with opening up is to take the opportunity to sell yourself to an audience who otherwise might not have heard you. These bands recognize where they are in their career and hustle to win the crowd over.
Last month I had the opportunity to see Wilco, one of my favorite all time bands, live at Toronto’s legendary Massey Hall. I came early to catch the opener because I figured Wilco would not travel with a band that they themselves didn’t like. I am a big enough fan to adopt the mentality if Wilco likes them I will too. The opener was indie rock artist Liam Finn and from start to finish he proved to be the best opener I have ever seen. Before I get into the details of the concert let me tell you a little bit about Liam. Sure you could just go click on his wikipedia page but let me save you the trip. Liam was born in Australia but grew up in New Zealand. He is the son of Neil Finn of Crowded house, a group made famous by the lyrics, “Hey now, hey now, don’t dream , it’s over”. Liam started his career as the frontman for the pop rock band “betchadupa”. Liam cut his teeth as a live performer doing shows with the Foo Fighters, Jane’s Addiction and Pearl Jam. In 2007 Liam released, “I’ll be lightning” his first solo album and has been touring to promote it and him ever since. So this brief history brings his career timeline up to the point where I saw him at Massey Hall.
As his the title of his album claims Liam is in fact Lightning
Liam Finn and his fellow vocalist Eliza Jane came out to a Massey Hall that was at less than half capacity. Some fans were listening while other were talking or playing brick breaker on their cell phones. The lights weren’t fully down and the doors continually opened with people stumbling in looking for their seats. However, Liam tuned all of this out and just focussed on putting on a kick ass show, a show where he displayed his talents and passions as a musician. The most amazing thing about Liam is that in addition to providing the lead vocals, he played both the guitar and drums. He pulled this all off by playing riffs on his guitar, recording them, and then looping them back while he switched to drums and vice versa. While this is a fairly common technique in concerts these days (both Feist and Final Fantasy have mastered it) what separated Liam was the ferocity and intense energy he put into playing each instrument. His skill at guitar was only shadowed by his immense talent on the drums. Liam played with such energy that he could barely stay seated. It honestly looked like he was trying to destroy his drum set. For a taste of what he is like live check out this clip: >watch?v=UV01Iyj2jag
Liam showed just as much hustle with his vocals, dancing around while his loops rang through the hall, stopping only to shout his lyrics into the microphone. It was an impressive performance to say the least highlighted by his interactions with the audience and his confession that playing in Massey Hall was an honor for him. Liam admitted that he grew up a huge Neil Young fan and since Young had recorded a famous live album in Massey Hall Liam performed a killer rendition of “Cinnamon Girl” that completely won the crowd over. If there is one thing a guy can do to win over a Canadian crowd it is complement a Canadian icon. Liam Finn had a short amount of time to win over a foreign crowd and he left the stage having accomplished this task.
A few days after attending the concert I purchased his album, “I’ll be Lightning” and while it is not nearly as loud and intense as his live performance I was not let down. The album successfully mixes the new techniques and styles of indie rock with the traditional sounds of folk rock and often times sounds like the late Elliot Smith. Songs like, “Better to Be”, “Second Chance” and “Fire in your Belly” are mellow and catchy, perfect for lounging around the house or walking through the city. If this column has at all intrigued you about Liam Finn I suggest you check it out or watch him go nuts in some live performances on youtube.
Thanks to the combined efforts of TI, Jay Z, Kanye West and Lil’ Wayne, ‘swagga’ is the latest word to enter the Hip Hop lexicon. From what I can gather from the lyrics to “Swagga Like Us” off TI’s Paper Trail album, ‘Swagga’ is the way you carry yourself, your style, the clothes you wear, your game etc. It is an edgier confidence rooted in an ability to overcome challenges despite people not believing in you. Really it is pretty powerful stuff, so it is no wonder this term has caught on highlighted most recently by Lil’ John’s track Crunk Swagga. Since the world of the NBA and Hip Hop are closely related it should come as no surprise that one team has wholeheartedly embraced ‘Swagga’, I’m referring of course to the Denver Nuggets. Since their impressive playoff run last year, taking the eventual NBA champs, the LA Lakers, to 6 games in the Western Conference Finals, the Nuggets have established themselves as the toughest and most entertaining team in the league. They are edgy, cool and play with a chip on their shoulder. They have ‘Swagga’ and are poised to make a run at an NBA championship
“My Attitude is Tattooed” - Kanye West
The Nuggets have style, a style that separates them from every other team in the NBA. This style goes beyond the spiked hair of the Birdman, or the long dreadlocks of Renaldo Balkman. The heart of the Nuggets style lies in their tattoos. The Nuggets have so much ink that it lead Denver Post journalist Benjamin Houchman to write a column on the subject during last year’s Western Conference Finals. http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci_12399636
Prior to the start of the season JR “Earl” Smith tattooed a giant Y and M on his throat standing for young money, K-Mart has his girlfriend’s lips tattooed on his neck and the birdman is so tatted up that he looks like a roadie for GNR. Say what you will about the number of tattoos these guys have and the subject matter behind each one, they add Swagga to this team. The sleeve and neck tattoos of these three guys matched with the intensity and agressivness which they play the game is an intimidating combination. Plus who are we kidding it looks pretty cool. While K-Mart, Earl and Birdman are the faces associated with the Nuggets and Tattoos some of the less visible tattoos of their teammates display the root of their “Swagga”. Carmelo Anthony has “No Struggle No Progress”, tattooed across his chest. Chauncey Billups has, “No Pain, No Fame” on his left arm and Renaldo Balkman has, “Hustle Harder” inked on his calves. These tattoos serve as inspiration for the players and match the way they play on the court. Swagga is not just about the looks it is also about the heart and these two elements match up nicely with a team that plays with a chip on their shoulder.
“When it comes to styles I got several sharper than a swagga dagga all metal” -- Lil’ Wayne
There is nothing better in sports than warranted cockiness. If you dunk on someone you should react to it. If you are knocking down threes unconsciously, you should acknowledge it. Swagga energizes the home crowd and silences fans on the road. It destroys your opponent emotionally, while at the same time forces your teammates on the bench to dance and hold eat other back (think Ronny Turiaf when he played for the Lakers.) Too many times in the NBA players settle for gentle dunks, or even lay ups when they have the opportunity for an easy bucket. The Nuggets though, live for these moments. They don’t just want to beat you on the score board, they want to destroy your confidence as well. If K-Mart, Nene, Smith or any of the Nuggets have a chance for a dunk they are going to THROW IT DOWN. They may hang on the rim for a few extra seconds, they may beat their chest or scream but no matter what they are going to force every fan to get out of their seats. One of the best examples was the monter dunk Melo had over Paul Milsap at the start of the season. Watch Melo scream “I’m Back” after he embarasses Milsapp, that is Swagga.
The Nuggets do the same thing when it comes to their outside shooting. It takes confidence to take threes in the NBA. It takes balls to jack them up repeatedly but it takes Swagga to take threes four feet behind the line or with a guy right in your face. These are the type of shots JR “Earl” Smith specializes in. When JR is on his three point shot can be every bit as demoralizing as a dunk especially when he runs back on D with his arms up or stops to pose for the fans. Every game JR jacks up shots that most players in the NBA would not consider taking that’s his style, that’s his Swagga and that is why he is so fun to watch.
This intensity of the Nuggets is not limited to the offensive end. Think how tough Nene, K-Mart and Birdman are down low. Nene bangs on people and K-Mart and Birdman are excellent with help D blocks. This combo completely shut down Chris Bosh last week in Denver where a guy who was averaging over 20 points every game this season walked away with 13 points and only two trips to the foul line. A huge blocked shot can pump up a crowd but what really gets Nuggets fans going is Birdman’s signature arm flap after every big defensive play. Watch this block on Shannon Brown from last years Western Conference Finals and tell me it doesn’t give you goosebumps.
“Why you so mad for it why you got to have it? Cause I slaved my whole life now I’m the master.” -- Kanye West
Every key player on the Nuggets plays with a chip on their shoulder. It begins with Billups who has been playing with his chip ever since Boston gave up on him half through his rookie year. A few more teams passed on Billups before he finally got a starting gig in Detroit and established himself as a leader and a pretty good point guard, winning the finals MVP. This chip was renewed last season when Detroit deemed him an non-essential part of their team moving forward and dumped him for a guy they essentially benched. While Billups was happy to be heading to his home town part of him was angry at how he was treated by Detroit and he plays every game with this in mind. This is why he goes balls out every night and has established himself as a leader on a team that desperately needed one.
Melo is another guy who plays every game like he has something to prove. After winning a championship with Syracuse Melo came into the NBA with high expectations. Throughout his career he has constantly been compared to LeBron and D-Wade both of whom have taken their teams to the finals. He has been criticized and under-appreciated for much of his career and up until last year was somewhat of an afterthought despite the fact that he is arguably the most gifted scorer in the NBA. Melo can play inside and outside and is almost a lock to get you 30 points every night. In the last year he has made great strides in his defense as well which he displayed a couple of weeks ago when he shut Kobe down in the second half of the blowout at home VS the Lakers. Melo is playing like he has something to prove this year and is a legitmate threat to win the NBA MVP and scoring title.
Then of course there is the big men for the Nuggets who each have something to prove. Let’s start with Nene, who a few years ago signed a massive $60 Million contract only to be riddled with injuries and a bought with Cancer in 2008. Nene admirably beat the odds and successfully came back notching one of his best statistical seasons of his career in 09. Every game he plays he is distancing himself from one of the scariest illnesses in existence, that takes balls but it also takes Swagga. K-Mart has also had his fare share of injuries he is the third player ever behind Danny Manning and Amare Stoudemire to successfully come back from microscopic knee surgery on both knees. On top of that K-Mart constantly battes the reputation of being a thug as Mark Cuban pointed out to K-Mart’s mother during last year’s playoffs. As each game passes he distances himself from his turbulent past much like Rasheed Wallace did when he joined the Pistons. Maybe Billups has something to do with that. Say what you want about K-Mart but he had to put in a lot of work to get back to where he is right now. Finally there is Birdman who was banned for nearly two years in 2006 for violating the leagues anti-drug policy. While the drug in question has never been released many assume that it was a recreational drug. The Birdman not only had to overcome his drug issues but clean himself up for the approval of the NBA and earn himself a multi year contract with the Nuggets through hustle plays and identifying with the home crowd. Each of these players has overcome extreme obstacles that would have crippled weaker players. They have earned the Swagga that they exzibit on the court with their massive throw downs and excessive celebrations.
Finally the newest Nugget, Ty Lawson also carries a bit of a chip on his shoulder. A guy who elected to stay in school to win a championship at North Carolina, successfully delivered and fell down draft sheets because NBA scouts were worried about his game translating to the NBA. I have always felt that if a guy has won a championship in college he will prove to be a quality player in the NBA. Going into this season I had no doubt that Ty Lawson was going to be a key part of this nuggets team. They must have thought so too since they traded a first rounder to the timberwolves for his rights. He has emerged as an excellent leader of Denver’s second unit, a speedster who can score and pass and gives them a completely new look. Every game Lawson plays with the Swagga of a guy who wants to prove to everybody how wrong they were.
“Follow my steps its the road to success” -- Jay Z
So what do you get when you put a group of hungry, tatted up hustlers together on one team? Well you get a tough, cool, and edgy team that throws down their dunks, jacks threes plays tough d and feeds off each others energy. The Nuggets have the Swagger and personal to match up with any team in the league. Nene, K-Mart and Birdman are monters down low. Billups can still be an excellent leader in a half court offense and can shoot when he needs to. JR “Earl” smith is one of the best three posint shooters in the league and can help the nuggets pull away or get them back into the game in a few possessions. Ty Lawson can come off the bench and lead a fast paced team of high flyers and Carmelo is one of the best players in the NBA who can beat you inside or outside. There is not a team in the NBA that the Nuggets can’t run with. They can win a shootout or a tough defensive battle. It will be interesting to see if Billups and George Karl can keep this team focussed, but, for now this team has Swagga and its growing. The Nuggets believe in themselves, they belive they can win even when on one picked them as a top team in the league at the start of the season. No Wonder Lil’ Wayne gave Melo a shout out in the song. Hey come to think of it doesn’t he also hang out with a guy named Birdman?
