what time did she go on last night?

Very disappointed in last night's show. Terminal 5 is a terrible venue. You can't see anything anywhere in the place. My friend and I tried each balcony, a bunch of spots on the floor and could never get a good view of anything.

MIA didn't go on early. The crowd was getting restless after listening to a DJ set that went on for hours. Although I love her albums, I don't think I would pay to see her again.

She went on around 10:45.

She went on right before Daft Punk.

"Really magical!!! I forgot what song she played after that but it was awesome.

The whole thing was awesome."

I know that CMJ is a nightmare in terms of trying to get complete coverage, but couldn't we have gotten a better review? Setlist? Something that doesn't have multiple exclamation points and a pair of sentences both ending in "awesome"?

Venue = still unfinished looking, but nice space for this type of concert. great sound system. dunno why everyone's complaining. then again, i am 5'11".

Crowd = very mixed, hipsters/yupsters/rockers/ballers/gay/str8...
cool up until everyone started booing blaqstarr.

MIA = UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

Not only did she do a stellar job on all numbers, she even brought blaqstarr back out so she could do her number.

i had bought tickets for both shows, so i wasn't overly excited to see her last night, but her energy was fierce! so glad i got tix to both nights.

i liked mp77's review in the comments section of the other post

I should've mentioned that after I came in and saw the first DJ aroudn 7:30, I went out to dinner, bought $2 (not $7) beers, and came in right before MIA came on. The venue said she was supposed to go on at 11; she went on at 10:45.

I also managed to get good spots throughout her set. I can totally see how people would get pissed off sitting in there sweating for 5 hours. And my conscience would never let me pay more than $5 for a beer. Usually $4.

But MIA's set on its own was pretty spectacular, I'll stand by that.

Afterwards Daft Punk did a DJ set but everyone was gone. Oh well!

this was my first time at terminal 5 and i can't say that i got a good impression. the place was packed immediately and it was really hard to get a good spot. the floor was the worst so my friend and i went to the balconies. up there, most people were sitting along the railing so we had to resort to a spot behind people looking out onto the stage. then there was the fact that we were told outside that the first act went on at 9 PM. lo and behold, we stood around and listened to the super long dj set. not that he isn't awesome, but we just wanted to get on with it already! then rye rye and blaqstarr FINALLY come out around 10.. and now they've got technical problems. so we had to wait around longer as rye rye's 'back-up dancers' flailed around, one looking like a 10-year-old girl who had one too many lollipops. the crowd got pissed, as was evident by the screams of MIA! and the loud booing. the antsy crowd, myself included, didn't think hearing 'whoomp there it is!' to be that comforting and afrikan boy also got hismelf a dose of booing. after a look of defeat, everyone left the stage and MIA came on instead with cherry, who seriously looks like she on another planet when she is on stage. i loved MIA's set, however, and felt it to be more enjoyable than her studio B set.. but then again, most places are more enjoyable than studio b. i'll probably give terminal 5 another shot, but i know that i better get myself there early or i'll have to suffer with a bad view.

terminal 5 is a big, cavernous shithole.

pathetic venue. the opening DJ's were dumb and annoying.

MIA was good, but the sound wasn't.

MIA rocked the house despite the huge vacuous space and poor cold dead hollow sound. the crowd was amazing and diverse for once, nice to see people who are just whities at a show (unlike most other cmj show). i have tix to see band of horses at terminal 5 and i'm thinking of ditching that show all together. i really wouldn't want to see a show there again.

Yeah Studio B sucks but thousands of people suck more. Also, agreed with the CMJ coverage/reviews/entire thing, I find it all really lacking, disappointing.

The venue sucks; never again.
The warm-up DJ sucked.
Baiting the crowd sucked.
Very unpleasant night.

Anyone know if they sold tickets at the door at all?

Also concerning the CMJ coverage, give BV a break, he's running his day parties all day so I really don't know when you expect him to post. I'm sure once things calm down next week proper reviews will be posted.

You no like the reviews here? Go to the show and write 'em up yourselves.

What time is she going on tonight?

Band of MIAs go on at 145 am at the Blender Hall of Williamsburg

First of all, the show was AMAZING!!! M.I.A. really knows what she's doing and I wish her the best in the future.
For all you kids who are complaining about not being able to see or paying too much money for drinks or waiting too long, here are some simple tips: 1) Ask more than one doorman what time the performance begins. 2) get a job, or second or a third if you want to party at a show in Manhattan. 3) Grow up. It was a huge venue and it was packed. The best you all could do is venture venture venture and be happy that you are able to go to a concert and enjoy yourselves.

what time does she go on tonight?

I called the Mercury Lounge box office, which is managing the tickets for Terminal 5 or something, they said she's going on at 10pm. So if last night is any indication, she'll be on at 9:45. It makes sense, there were two openers last night, and tonight there's only one....

"the whole thing pulsed like an awesomely bad website from 1996."

Brilliant!

what are the openers...i didn't see any...

daft punk played a dj set and no one was there!! what a heart break

the ticketmaster stub says doors at 7pm, what time do you all think i should i get there and who's opening again?

btw-i would rather not stand around and listen to some corny djs play "whoomp there it is!" for hipsters, my girl and i just want to see MIA...

Check out my review @ the link!
-viv

Mercury Lounge box office said she would go on at 10 last night, too, so don't believe 'em.

were people selling tix at the door?

nope. my friend had to buy a tic from a scalper for 40 bucks

it was sold out on arrival!

daft punk played a dj set and no one was there!! what a heart break

have you seen those hipster cursive letters on the bathroom sinks? A cursive "C" for cold water, a cursive "H" for hot water. Those cursive letters suck! It's so hipster!

the crowd sucked.i'm sure 'the battle of algiers' projected on stage was above 90% of the audience's heads.
the sound's really bad there too.
MIA was good,though.

If you think the "sound" sucks at Terminal 5, then you should stop going to shows in bigger venues. The audio system at Terminal 5 is about as good as you can get. If you think it sounds bad, then you are wrong and know absolutely nothing about live sound.
Also, when you are on a balcony BEHIND other people- yes, you can not see the show. It's the same at EVERY venue. If you can't see the show from where you are, get there earlier next time.

I have to say the venue itself was not bad in and of itself but they definitely need a better sound system to fill up such a huge cavernous space. The two upper floors are basically a waste of space unless you happen to be standing right next to the railing. I arrived at 10pm so missed most of the DJ set (which apparently wasn't a bad thing, considering the comments Ive read here) but I have to agree that I myself wasn't very pleased when Blaqstarr had technical difficulties and no music was playing at all! Nice way to kill a party! As for MIA, she was amazing, although the lack of a good sound system made for a kind of underwhelming sonic experience (you could barely understand her during her first song). So if Terminal 5 wants to do a better job they should beef up their sound/hire better sound engineer, or else it really wont cut it.

PS I saw CSS at studio B and that was an amazing show with a great DJ and great sound so besides being ridiculously small I don't know why people complain so much. Just get there early!

Anon 4:08....is that you John Moore?

John Moore, please blow me:
212-479-7990

uhhh... no, i'm not John Moore. i'm the same person who wrote the following comment when people were talking about how bad another venue (Warsaw) sounds.
""sound" of a venue is such a subjective thing. It depends on so many factors... who is playing, where one is standing in the venue, how crowded it is, enldess other factors. I've heard people say particular shows were the worst sounding ever while at the same time other people say it was the best. A lot of times, certain bands just sound like shit live... doesn't matter whether it is the fanciest pa system in the world, they will still sound like shit."

I'm not sticking up for Bowery Presents, I just hate when idiots who don't know what they are talking about trash a place. If someone doesn't make stupid negative comments on this site, does that automatically mean that they work for the venue that they are not trashing?

in reply to mozzz79:

the show was indeed amazing because MIA put on a great set and i don't think anyone is saying it was MIA's fault ... HOWEVER, a venue should try and give their PAYING audience the BEST experience they can for the money.

guess what? i have a good job with good pay (as i am sure other people on here do) and i STILL thought it was a little ridiculous that a beer was $7. i understand that venues can charge whatever they desire for alcohol but it has consistently bothered me that they take advantage of people through those kinds of charges.. as someone mentioned before, it's definitely easier to drink elsewhere beforehand for much less.

another thing - there was a guy outside YELLING that the first act went on at 9 PM. if he is yelling that out, it is for all to hear, and so that we don't need to ask them over and over again. making us wait that long at ANY venue - and studio B has been guilty of that MANY times, not just terminal - is annoying and will only lead to what happened last night - people booing, yelling and getting frustrated.

if it wasn't for MIA, this show would have been a complete waste.. so thanks MIA.

are they letting ppl with CMJ passes in all nite or is it a first come first basis?

Anon 4:45...I guess you keep an archive of your blog comments...sweet.

setlist?

For a different angle on the show--
www.themusic.fm

Yo, I say M.I. you say A. M.I A M.I A

That's wasssup kid. MIA was wonderful last night. She has some big feet. She reminded me of a frog, but a cool frog. I love her. She's the best looking frog.

Her music and show were so good and fun. I didn't even notice Terminal 5. MIA loves people and loved the crowd. NYC loves her. I wish she could be around all the time.

I missing her now.

Money Mike

Well, just got home from seeing her tonight, 10/19. I thought her show was amazing, but then I am a big fan. I thought there was a really great combination of visuals and music, and the whole thing was quite explosive (can't find a better word than that).

The opening acts were not very good, and she didn't go on until about 10:15. Was that when she was supposed to? The tickets say M.I.A. at 7pm and I don't go to things much these days, so to me it seemed like a pretty long wait to see what I wanted to see. (I also heard a few people grumbling around me, etc.)

When Maya finally came out, the crowd where I was standing (front and center) got wild. People did a lot of pushing and throwing each other around especially at the beginning (and later, when so many were rushing to get on stage for "Bird Flu"); it felt to me like old days at the mosh pit. (That's because I'm kind of middle aged - no young hipster, just someone who loves M.I.A.)

I guess there were enough trendies in the crowd, but it was more ethnically and culturally diverse than what I saw at Coney Island last summer (which was a real "indie rock" kind of crowd).

She did great versions of "Bamboo Banga," "Jimmy" (which is not one of my favorites, but the good beat came to the forefront live), and "Paper Planes." (Lots of gun shots as a comment to the censors at the Letterman show - quite funny.) Afrikan Boy came out at the end and did fine. And the encores were very rousing - "Amazon" went very nicely, and this was her best performance of "Boyz."

I don't care for the venue itself, either. But it beat the hell out of trying to enjoy her show at Coney Island, which was the only other place I was able to catch her this year.

^ completely agree with what you wrote Richard.

I thought it was an amazing show as well!!!

I feel as though you saw an entirely different show than me. I was terribly disappointed with it. The eternal wait before she even came on was totally unacceptable, and it was reflected in the crowd, which was, by the time she got on, pretty listless and angry. I don't think I'll be going to back to terminal 5 unless I know well in advance exactly how long they're going to trap us there to buy overpriced booze before the show I came to see actually goes on. If I want to hear two hours of a DJ and pay out the nose for cocktails I'll go to a club, not a concert.

i went both nights -

the crowds were very different on each night - first night, the people were really mellow yet still into it. and then second night- WTF!!! i have never been in the presence of so much teenage catiness! alot of the girls in the front were pushing and shoving to get closer. so annoying considering the long wait people had to endure. and also considering there was a person in a wheelchair in the front row (bad on term5 part for not accomodating that person in VIP).

but what's more - this was an M.I.A. SHOW!!!! not a frikkin Slipknot concert! i totally didn't get the aggresive vibe. and i have to say it seemed like the teenie bopper girls were the root of it. (at least at the front). i guess they had a later curfew that night.

all that aside - MIA ROCKED THE HOUSE!!! there were minor beat glitches here and there, but overall the energy was much more intense and her perfomance amazing. I've caught her shows quite a bit coincidentally and this one was the most hype by far.

there are alot of mentions of how bad term5 is but acutally - (as in many venues) it all depends where you position yourself. (underneath balcony, or way off to the side it's not going to sound so good... but about 10' away from center stage - the show was BRILLIANT!

but i do agree though that the bass could've been heavier. it seemed to be stronger the first night.

Terminal 5 is a disaster. Bad sound, no ventilation, poor sightlines, poor design (you have to exit through a single-file tunnel!), bad air, clueless on-site staff. It's like Eugene or something.

MIA was amazing last night. So was the crowd, everybody singing and chanting and dancing and picking up all MIA's cues.

For all of you who rolled up at 7pm and had no clue that she wouldn't come on until around 10pm -- HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO A SHOW BEFORE?! This sums up the whole crowd that was there last night -- clueless amateur-ish concert goers. I have NEVER seen a "dance" show that the crowd was so static. I mean for gods sake, do something besides put your hands in the air people; and when other people try to move through the crowd -- DON'T FREAK OUT! First and foremost was I the only person that realized this magical new venue is actually the old club Mirage/Carbon/Exit/Earth? It's the EXACT same set up minus the cage where the DJ booth used to be on the 2nd or 3rd floor (can't recall now). That being said, worst views of the stage of any venue I've ever been at it in my life...every single spot we moved to you couldn't see shit until we happened to find a corner of the 3rd floor balcony area that was decent. The stage needs to be much higher I suppose. Beyond that the floor was literally wall to wall people -- horrendous...Take a look at Roseland -- you can walk around freely and that is also a larger venue. I wouldn't be caught dead in Terminal 5 again. MIA was good but I think with a better crowd and better venue it would have been that much better. MIA @ Central Park Summerstage anyone? PS Doesn't anyone smoke weed?! I mean even I was afraid to spark up!

m.i.a is a great performer... i have seen her live many times and i have never been disappointed. with that said, though, the thursday show at terminal 5 was total crap. the sound was terrible. the bass didnt carry and everything sounded horrible. wtf. the venue charges way too much for drinks and tickets but can't fix up the sound??? sure, the space itself is alright for lounging and chilling preshow but what about the music... i am there for the artist and music not for some freaking 3 level space!!! my advice is just dont go to this place for a show if you love your music!!

Common Knowledge:

M.I.A. - 10PM
The Cool Kids - 9PM

actually the CMJ guide said MIA @8. lots of out of towners probably thought so.

Fantastic show. I am in love.

Worse than Roseland? Really? Roseland doesn't even allow regular people in the balcony, do they? It's VIP only. Roseland sounds like shit also.

The doors open up for the kiddies at 7.

g's and their dates get there at 10.

damn if feels good to be a gangsta.

Money Mike

Hi. Don't mean to monopolize the conversation, but a few more comments are necessary here...

I'm a native New Yorker and have lived here most of my life (which in my case means I've been here for a long, long time) and I've been going to shows for many years too (though maybe not so much in the past few years). So, people, spare me your elitist comments about "amateurs" and "out-of-towners."

If the venue puts on the main act several hours afer they say they're going to (meaning the time on the tickets), that's irresponsible. You shouldn't have to be in the know and on the special grapevine just to get some idea of when a show actually starts. And we shouldn't have to prove that we're "professionals"(??) if we already had to work to earn the wages to buy these tickets.

The (other) person who talked about the rowdiness of the crowd was right on the mark. I've been to plenty of shows in my time; I held my stead in the early '80s seeing X and Black Flag (though that's not my music these days)... So, I think I know the difference between a real aggessive vibe (as that other person put it, which this definitely had - though I didn't think that was all bad) and just people pushing through once in a while.

Of course, this stuff happened at the front - maybe it was a different story further back.

All that having been said, once again, M.I.A. put on a great show in spite of the other stuff.

Richard, wtf are you talking about? You're the one getting all "elitist" on us with your ageism.

Anyone who compares the vibe at a Black Flag show to what happened last night at Terminal 5 doesn't know their asshole from their elbow.

The band goes on later so that the venue can sell booze to its customers - it's a business - and frankly, I'm all for either getting hammered if I'm with my friends, or being afforded a little window to drink casually and hit on the girl I brought to the gig.

It's also not "elitist" to say that if the doors are at 7, the main act likely isn't coming on until between 9 and 10. This is common knowledge among concertgoers.

While you were hanging up on the balcony fixing your colostomy bag and judging - in all your infinite wisdom - some of us were trying to have a good time upfront, and I think the majority of us succeeded.

Richard, wtf are you talking about? You're the one getting all "elitist" on us with your ageism.

Anyone who compares the vibe at a Black Flag show to what happened last night at Terminal 5 doesn't know their asshole from their elbow.

The band goes on later so that the venue can sell booze to its customers - it's a business - and frankly, I'm all for either getting hammered if I'm with my friends, or being afforded a little window to drink casually and hit on the girl I brought to the gig.

It's also not "elitist" to say that if the doors are at 7, the main act likely isn't coming on until between 9 and 10. This is common knowledge among concertgoers.

While you were hanging up on the balcony fixing your colostomy bag and judging - in all your infinite wisdom - some of us were trying to have a good time upfront, and I think the majority of us succeeded.

Amateur...

it was funny because the crowd was really racially divided & the 3 hour long DJ set brought out the worst in everyone...I heard "nigger" & "honky" spewed more times than I care to ever hear again.

was it really blaqstarr onstage? As I recall, it was just a former member dj-ing. Big fucking deal.

http://www.diehipster.com

Hmm, seems to be some misreading here...

Up on the balcony? I said I was up front, way up front. And I said the aggressive vibe wasn't all bad. (Somebody else complained about it more - which is that person's prerogative.) But my thoughts about it are mixed... Good to see people having a wild time to M.I.A. (and I was dancing pretty wildly myself sometimes)...but I wonder if some people weren't being a little selfish while shoving to get up front, not leaving any room for those who had waited, who maybe weren't always able or willing to be part of that. (Of course, it could have been partly the venue that was the problem - wall-to-wall people, as someone said.)

Anyway, I was not setting out to condemn it. I was just correcting the person who was saying there was no aggressive vibe out there, that it was all listsless.

Maybe that person was in the balcony.

But it's not a big deal. I did have a great time. I thought I had made that clear.

And I wasn't comparing it to Black Flag; I was simply saying that I had been through the range of experiences, so I, at least, wasn't freaking out over a few people pushing through the crowd...

And that there was a little more than that happening UP AT THE FRONT.

I don't care if you want to rail against me because of a post I made, I can take it. But it would better if you actually read the post.

the show was amazing.. i got there at around 5 and was one of the first few people in line. the dj set was very long, but so what i was still stoked. i really dont know if the acoustics were bad and all the view problems cause i was right in the front and center so i had the best view in the house and was blown away by the sound. she was so on point. she rocked it so hard. i could never complain. i could understand the problems cause its the first show of the american tour so they had to work out the bugs. paper planes and boyz were great. if u havent heard 20 dollar live then your missing out big time cause it was fucking awesome. i do wish i had known about daft punk playing afterwords tho!

whatever stop the hating that shit was on point.

"the show was amazing.. i got there at around 5 and was one of the first few people in"

There is a big difference between a fan and a fanatic and you definitely crossed that line. 5pm? M.I.A. couild have had a terrible concert, but beging the fanboy/fangirl that you are, you probably still would have said it was great. 5pm? Wow.

the show was hot. the venue was pretty good as well. alot of indie kids there that had no rhythm, (or originality) but hey, it was still cool. the "hold up your cellphones" thing was lame and im proud to say that i didnt hold mine up. people around me thought it was a bit wierd too so i dont understand how the reviewer thought it was so "awesome". this was a great show at a venue with great potential-- too bad the review was so poorly written. the beer prices were a bit obscene but i guess thats just nyc at this point. would have been great if i knew that daft punk was playing later that night. bad move on their part to not plug that one...

I am confused. I cannot tell if some of the people on here who are making comments saying they wish they knew about the Daft Punk afterparty really believed that bullshit or just adding to the stupidity. Honestly if you really think that Daft Punk played a set later that night then you should not be going to concerts. You should be home trying to figure out why you are such a fucking moron.

I went to the Oct. 19 show.. it was pretty damn amazing.

All I can say is, I wish I would have came a bit earlier. I was stuck standing for several hours in the balcony, waiting for the show to start. I normally wouldn't mind that much, but damn, I was at school all day, carrying a huge, heavy bag. My back was ready to tear open, and I was left standing for far too long. The chairs filled up FAST.. I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I had a place to sit, although I was surprised they even had chairs.

Posted by Anonymous | October 21, 2007 4:26 PM

^^^ This person is a moron.

Even though I almost got trampled, lost my SIGNED copy of Kala, and waited for hours to see M.I.A. this past Friday...I have to say I'd do it all again. It was such a great show! She tore it up! It has to be one of the best shows I've ever been to. And yes yes, she was really late, but alot of artists are late. And that's probably not going to change by my bitching soooo, I'm not going to even bother! Love M.I.A. WHOOOOOOOO!

"Posted by Anonymous | October 21, 2007 4:26 PM

^^^ This person is a moron.

Posted by HIPSTER MOD DOUCHE | October 21, 2007 9:24 PM"

^^^^^^^^^^^^Another no life waste of space

I was at this show and all I can say is that people are morons (in general) and there were tons of 5 year olds there that didn't know how to act.

1) Got there at 9:30 or so. Got a drink and the show started. 7 PM DOOR TIME DOES NOT MEAN THE PERFORMER COMES ON AT 7 PM. Even in my drunken state, I had enough sense not to show up before 9 PM. It states on 99% of all the tickets I've ever seen. -- PM "DOORS." Doors. Doors. Doors. If you're complaining that she came on late, you're an idiot and that's what you get for showing up at 7 PM expecting to see something.

2) Never understand the type of imbecile that goes to a GENERAL ADMISSION show early, tries to get up front, then complains about the pushing. Of course there's going to be pushing. All the losers and superfans who camp out for 24+ hours to be first don't know how to control themselves; and need some way to vent. For some reason, they feel that being 6 inches closer will make a difference. That should be expected. Here's a tip: BACK BAR. No matter what venue (small, trash venues of course) it is, the back bar area will always be comfortable...and you can get drinks the whole damn night, without some sweaty jackass pushing up on you the whole night (I learned this lesson at an early age).

Any concert will be crystallized in your head as awful if you showed up at 7 on the dot, waited 3 hours to hear the music you wanted to hear, got pushed around by 60 pound girls and flaming homosexuals, and got drenched in sweat (your own and the sweat of others). By the time this crap gets under way, you already want to leave.

Was someone complaining about a $5 beer? Are you from Jersey or something?

PS- I'm no smooth operator, but judging from my concert-going methods vs some of the idiots that posted to complain, I may as well be James Bond. What moron shows up to a concert at 7 PM?

you're all so stupid. too bad someone didn't napalm the place with all you hipsters inside