Has it really been six years since No Doubt released their last album?(Actually, it’s been almost EIGHT years since 2001’s "Rock Steady", the band’s last collection of all-new material.)
The best thing about their concert at Tampa’s Ford Amphitheater on June 2 is that, if I didn’t know any better, I might’ve guessed that the band hadn’t spent a day apart during this decade.
That’s a testament to the fact that - unlike a lot of reuniting groups with older members that may or may not be over the hill - Gwen Stefani and company still look EXACTLY the same (her on-stage pushups probably help keep her fit as much as the jumping around she and the rest of the band do throughout their set) . A bigger factor is Stefani happily and naturally shifting from "solo artist superstar" mode back into "cool chick who happens to front a band" mode. She’s unquestionably still the star, but No Doubt’s set was NOT all about her.
Speaking of "cool chicks who happen to front a band", that seemed to be the theme for the rainy evening. (It rained so much in the hour leading up to the concert that, by the end of the show, a few cars were stuck in muddy water that went up to their door handles - they might still be there today for all I know.)
Accompanying No Doubt on their tour is a band I enjoy listening to, and another I’d never heard of in my life.
The Sounds are a Swedish New Wave band that’s been around since 1999 (or so Wikipedia says) and I dug their 70’s-riffic opening set. Fierce lead singer Maja Ivarsson is probably a big reason for the apt Blondie comparisons. I’d definitely listen to their CD (which they helpfully reminded us "dropped" the day of the concert) if I still purchased CDs with any regularity.
The group I HAD heard of was Paramore.
Mostly I was kind of blown away by how confident and GOOD 20-year-old lead singer Hayley Williams is live. Also, the rest of the band rocked - especially the guy who did a running flip across the stage while playing guitar. The problem is that, except for the stuff they played from their forthcoming new album, most of their songs were structured in a very similar way and ended up sounding the same. (Actually, the biggest problem for me was deciding whether it was acceptable to sing along in full voice to songs performed by a 20-year-old girl as I was surrounded by even more thrashing young female fans. I ended up singing along - on the down low.)
That didn’t turn out to be an issue during No Doubt’s set because EVERYBODY was off their butts singing and dancing as soon as the band kicked their set off with "Spiderwebs." Special thanks to Stefani for repeatedly acknowledging us poor slobs in the soggy lawn portion of the jam-packed venue. (Also, special props to the surprisingly good sound quality at the outdoor Ford Amphitheatre - I’ll be going back there in the near future.)
No Doubt - Stefani, Tom Dumont, Tony Kanaal, Adrian Young, accompanied by Stephen Bradley and Gabrial McNair on the tour - performed every single one of their hits. The difference between No Doubt’s set and Paramore’s is that No Doubt’s evolution as a band ("I had forgotten they were a ska band," remarked my girlfriend Erica) resulted in a much more dynamic and varied set.
For an evening that had the potential to be a nightmare - besides the rain, some genius had scheduled a high school graduation in the adjacent venue, causing a parking logjam - the music ended up elevating this to one of the best concert experiences in my (admittedly limited) concert-going life.
No Doubt...A
Paramore...B+
The Sounds...B+
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