Although this was a Cake concert, I went more to see Spoon, who were opening for them on this tour. It was the first night of the tour, and even though Massey Hall was only half full for Spoon, it might very well have been the biggest crowd they'd played for. They played about 45 minutes, really hitting their stride about halfway in when they played material from "A Series of Sneaks," their 1998 album originally released by Elektra. The highlight of the show for me was an especially blistering performance of "30 Gallon Tank." After their set, I talked to Britt and grabbed his setlist. He told me they're beginning to record new material, but that it was going slow. A new album would probably be ready by next spring or summer. Since they probably won't be back in Toronto for a while, I asked if they'd be playing SXSW again, and Britt encouraged me to email him before I come down to Austin. It would be great to see them there.
Cake was like a well-oiled music machine. They are a very tight band live, and John McCrea is quite theatrical. Nevertheless, Cake is a band that I like in small doses and while I enjoyed all the songs, I was perfectly content to go home after about an hour and a half. They played about twenty minutes longer than that, which was fine. It was a bit surreal being in the midst of a singalong to "Satan Is My Motor." He's definitely not my motor. More like a backseat driver sometimes...
- Anything You Want
- Telamon Bridge
- Lines in the Suit
- All the Pretty Girls Go to the City
- Take a Walk
- Metal Detektor
- 30 Gallon Tank
- Utilitarian
- The Minor Tough
- I Could See the Dude
- Waiting for the Kid
- Take the Fifth
- Car Radio
- Me and the Bean
- Fitted Shirt