Spoon kicked off their tour in Austin w/ Sharon Jones, Broken Bells, Walkmen (pics,setlist), Radio City tonight (tix on sale)

March 26, 2010

Spoon

It was a happy St. Patrick’s Day for Spoon. The Austin, Texas, indie-rock band received a hero’s welcome during its hometown show on Wednesday at the South by Southwest music festival.

The group, this musical city’s biggest export in recent years, has been on a roll as of late. Spoon’s newest CD, the recently released “Transference,” debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, selling more than 50,000 copies in its first week on shelves. In honor of its achievements, the band was rewarded with the highly coveted opening night, headlining slot at Stubb’s, SXSW’s largest venue.

The group didn’t disappoint the hometown crowd, which had filled the venue to capacity well before Spoon actually took the stage. The quartet wasted no time getting to the good stuff, opening the show with the solid new single, “Written in Reverse,” and then quickly following with the even stronger “Don’t Make Me a Target,” from 2007’s “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga.” The latter had a punky snarl to it, but also a dramatic piano line, reminding one of a classic Joe Jackson cut.

The one misstep, and it was a big one, came when Spoon covered the Damned’s “Love Song.” The band put its own spin on the track — which I applaud — but the lackluster, loopy result was something that would make punk-rock fans cringe. [Mercury News]

Spoon‘s tour with Deerhunter has arrived in NYC for a massive show at Radio City Music Hall tonight (3/26). The Strange Boys play first of three. Tickets ~~are still on sale~~ now seem to be gone.

The NPR-presented Austin showcase on March 17th also had Visqueen, The Walkmen, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings and Broken Bells (who played earlier that day in a parking garage) on the bill. More pictures from that show with Spoon’s setlist below…

Visqueen

The Walkmen

Broken Bells

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings

Spoon

Spoon @ Stubb’s – March 17, 2010 setlist
1. Written In Reverse
2. Someone Something
3. Don’t Make Me a Target
4. The Ghost of You Lingers
5. Trouble Comes Running
6. Nobody Gets Me But You
7. Don’t You Evah
8. Love Song (The Damned cover)
9. I Saw The Light
10. The Underdog
11. Vittorio E.
12. Got Nuffin’
13. I Turn My Camera On
14. My Mathematical Mind
15. I Summon You
16. Black Like Me