Bloc Party Live at Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles

Bloc Party entertained a Tuesday evening’s packed house at the Hollywood Palladium, playing the penultimate leg of a short, 6-stop US tour, performing critically acclaimed 2005 debut, Silent Alarm, in its entirety. Playing beloved albums for the fans can be viewed cynically, a simple ploy to gouge fans of extra cash or a lack of creativity on a band’s behalf, but on the flip side of that thinking, what fan doesn’t like to see a favorite band play their seminal work? It’s a trip down memory lane, and this show was no less for the throngs in attendance, clearly lapping up their favourites. Nostalgia was plenty evident at this performance, the average age of the crowd notably a few years older than would be expected of, say, a modern hip-hop gig.

Taking the unusual approach of playing the tracklisting of the album in reverse order, things started off mellow, building to a raucous crescendo as the evening approached its climax. In front of epilepsy-inducing strobes, and at times barely visible, through a sea of cellphones, to members of the audience at the back of the auditorium, vocalist Kele Okereke was all smiles. The band seeming to have bonded well in their current form, and appeared to relish pleasing the crowd, with frequent banter between songs.

With the bulk of Silent Alarm’s ‘bangers,’ as Okereke would call them, stacked to the front of the album, the energy of crowd built and built, culminating with the strident album opener “Like Eating Glass,” sending the fans into a frenzy. After a few minute’s intermission, the band re-emerged for an encore, Okereke minus hat, and went through five more bangers, the highlight of which was most assuredly “Flux,” taken from their third LP, Intimacy. For the final number, “Ratchet,” Okereke even removed his microphone from its stand, effectively detaching his tether, allowing himself to stomp around the stage, before the band took their bow and vanished backstage.

Set List:

01 – Compliments

02 – Plans

03 – Luno

04 – So Here We Are

05 – Price of Gasoline

06 – The Pioneers

07 – This Modern Love

08 – She’s Hearing Voices

09 – Blue Light

10 – Banquet

11 – Positive Tension

12 – Helicopter

13 – Like Eating Glass

–encore–

14 – Two More Years

15 – Hunting For Witches

16 – The Prayer

17 – Flux

18 – Ratchet

All Photos by Marv Watson