Before I start this review, I have a confession to make. Unlike the previous Franz Ferdinand, Hoobastank, No Doubt/Cranberries and Linkin Park gigs that I have attended, I wasn't all that familiar about Jet when I was at their gig last tuesday. All I knew were a couple of lines from some of their songs and that their music is hard to resist. The loud hard ones are really catchy and boisterous enough to make you want to nod your head to while their ballads are mellow and heartfelt without being overly sappy.
I recieved their debut album "Get Born" as a birthday present when it was released in 2004 and took an immediate liking to their brand of rock and roll. I heard "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" and "Look What You Have Done" before they became way overplayed everywhere. But that meant exposure for the band which is a good thing. "AYGBMG" was featured in an Ipod advertisement on telly while "LWYD" was typical background music for teenage drama series (The OC anyone?). Anyway, their first album also consists of other rock gems and their music was a good enough reason to catch them live.
19th of June 2007.
Our tickets indicated that the concert was supposed to start at 8pm. As we made our way on foot from SMU to Fort Canning Park after dinner at TCC, we could hear strains of thumping music emanating from the hill above. We were worried. Surely, Jet couldn't be that punctual. Rockstars are well known for being exceptionally late and keeping their fans waiting in anticipation. The thought of missing any bit of Jet in action was unsettling. Upon reaching our destination, we realized that our fears were unfounded. The loud bass beats were courtesy of the opening acts.
We had to queue to get in but the line moved pretty fast. Once inside the gate, we saw that splotches of concert-goers had already made themselves comfortable on the slopey green grass patch in front of the stage. Not surprisingly, quite a significant percentage were non locals. There were three side tents selling the band's merchandise, booze and Botak Jones grub respectively. Botak Jones by the way is a very successful American food franchise that is reknown for its cheap restaurant quality grub in heartland areas. I bought myself a black Jet concert Tee, Jo got some nifty badges while Yv took home with her the band's poster and "Shine On" cd.
We found ourselves a good spot like 3 metres away from the stage and joined the crowd in hollering out for Jet. At 9pm sharp, frontman Nic Cester strutted out on stage followed in casual rhythm by the rest of the band. The first thing you notice is how sharply these dudes are dressed. Nic was at his modern bohemian best - long white flowing shirt, paired with a black blazer, pastel scarf and sandals. Somehow, he reminded me of a clean shaven John Lennon. In my head, I was just wondering how long he could last in that power outfit. The band didn't last long. Soon after, Nic uttered "Oh the humidity!" and did away with his thick jacket. His brother drummer Chris Cester was already shirtless but he looked really cool with his black police cap and white pants. "Did I just hear some guy say take it off??" he muses to the crowd. Sure enough, this Aussie guy just inches away from me was enthusiastically chanting "Rip it off! Rip it off!!!", making Jo and I collapse into fits of laughter.
Throughout the 90mins set, the band entertained the audience with songs from both albums, effortlessly alternating between adrenaline stompers like "That's All Lies", "Stand Up" and "Cold Hard Bitch" and acoustic slow numbers like "Move On", "Radio Song" and "King's Horses" but it was their two hit anthems which catapulated them to fame worldwide that really got the crowd moving. Kids as young as 7 and adults alike were all jumping to "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" while the band seemed pleased that the audience knew all the lyrics to "Look What You've Done". Some people even took out their lighters and started waving them in synchronized manner.
It was clear where the band got their influences (both in music and style) from. Their music were sometimes reminiscent of The Who, Rolling Stones and even Oasis. Guitarist Cameron Muncey was staggering stylishly around stage often with a cigarette sticking from his mouth while drummer Chris was in languid Iggy Pop mode everytime he rested from his drum duties. Lead singer Nic made an impression with his flexible vocals as he managed to sound good screaming/shrieking during some of the fast numbers and then incredibly poignant during his solo rendition of "Shine On". He mentioned that this song was really special to him and I later learnt that it was written in memory of the boys' father who had died of cancer. "Shine On" was part of the encore set that also included "Eleanor" and "Rollover DJ". I was rather disappointed that they didn't play "Sgt. Major" which is one of my favourites but the concert was nevetheless amazing.
One of the band's best moments came, not when they were belting out those famous radio friendly rock anthems but when the Cester brothers were singing in harmony to Eleanor, each armed only with a guitar and tambourine respectively. It was so earnest, tender and beautiful, it simply took my breath away. Just like this concert did.
