Silversun Pickups at Northern Lights

The Silversun Pickups, a college indie favorite, played Clifton Park's Northern Lights last night. Debbie tossed a free extra ticket my way when Karen belly-ached about getting up early for school. She's a guidance counselor, it's understandable. Instead, I quickly accepted, regardless of the yawning I'd be doing after midnight.

It felt a little strange (but in a good way) fishing out my license to prove my age at the door. Not that you needed to be twenty-one to see the show. Dozens of underage high school and college students filled the floor, many donning fashions I wore in the 1980s (Cindy Lauper mini skirts, etc...) This was a fashion time warp we weren't expecting.

Debbie is tiny making it impossible to see the band from the back. So I snagged her hand and lead her to the front. With some healthy pushing and shoving (we earned that right) inside the standing room only we scored a smidgen of space near the front.

Normally, on the radio or MTV, SSPU sounds fantastic, but last night, (not sure who to blame) they were, well, extremely over-modulated and uncomfortably distorted. It must have been the audio tech, though, again, not sure, it might have been a faulty effects pedal.

Regardless, they truly are a fantastic band, tearing away at conventions with an atypical female bass player and recording music with legendary producer Butch Vig. He's the guy who produced Green Day, Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins.

After 20 minutes, Deb and I capitulated our killer spot, front and center, to escape the feedback loop. It was just too much for us 'ol ladies' who are used to perfection. Behind the audio booth and watching from a video projection screen we agreed that the sound improved as the show went on. Perhaps the sound mixer figured out the impedance problem...

Our evening folded with a drive-through cheeseburger run at Wendys - exactly how I would have done it back when I was a student.