Ra Ra Riot is my most reliable chill band. If I’m ever riled up about stuff after school, I slip on earbuds, slip into Rhumb Line, and everything’s calm again. (The Mountain Goats’ Heretic Pride is another reliable de-stressor.)
Effective as this calmness is, it creates a potential problem live. Serenity can work well on a CD; it can also make for a really boring concert.
Fortunately, Ra Ra Riot was able to up the energy a bit and put on a convincing live show. “Ghost Under Rocks,” “St. Peter’s Day Festival,” and “Boy” were especially strong. The excitement generated by these songs enabled songs like “Winter ’05” to make an impact. Quiet could work because you had a contrast.
Unquestionably the high point of the show was “Dying is Fine.” Of all the different bands’ songs featured in class that year, “D.I.F.” may have been the most popular. This is quite an accomplishment because philosophy-driven violin pieces do not usually appear on middle school playlists. It’s hard to not like the song though, and with the extended jam session and band-crowd high fives, it was hard not to enjoy it in concert. Who knows – perhaps the next time Ra Ra Riot comes to DC, a few seventh graders will pass on B.O.B. and Justin Bieber, and check out some solid indie rock...
Grade: B+
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