Friday 27 March 2009

Ladies & gentlemen, the presidents of the USA


The Presidents of the United States of America in Paradiso Amsterdam, 20 March 2009 (Ronald says 4 out of 5)

Whenever you're feeling down put on one of The Presidents of the USA's albums. It's a definite upper. Their music is full of positive energy and so are their shows. So it's a no brainer when they visit my town to go see them.

So on a Friday night it was time to celebrate the weekend with this feel good band. And they got the party started right from the start. Singer Chris Ballew was cracking jokes in between songs to add to the good vibe. Even when people in the crowd were tossing parts of plush animals onto the stage (the support act of the night was called "Stuffed Animal") he joked about it and even added an additional verse to the song "Kitty" singing about poor old teddy without arms and legs. They told the crew to take it easy on the stage divers and let them take their dive into the crowd. This is a good example of what a PUSA gig is all about.

But let's not forget the music. Of course they were playing their big hits like "Kitty", "Peaches", "Lump" and "We're Not Gonna Make It" but also some more rare songs and songs of their latest album "These Are The Good Times People". They all blend in together nicely making a good set that never falls short. It's also nice to see that all you need is a drum player (Jason Finn), guitar player (Andrew McKeag) and bass player (Ballew) to lay down a solid grooving sound. Maybe the trio setup is one of their strengths: it leaves enough room for everyone to go full force. And full force ahead it is almost for the whole show. Before you know it they have finished their encore to leave everyone in very good spirits. What else can you ask from a band?

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