Local H Week, Day 2

Today I'm going to discuss the gimmick show, something Local H does better than maybe anyone. Now, I love a gimmick show in general. They are fun and entertaining. Like, Jimmy Eat World is doing a tour of gimmick shows, for the tenth anniversary of one of their albums where they will be playing that album start to finish every night. I'd totally go see that if it wasn't like $34 to get in. Liz Phair just did something similar with Exile In Guyville I think.

But Local H, they go beyond just playing an album all the way through. Well, they did just that earlier this year, but they didn't stop at playing one album. Rather, they got a one week residency at a club, and played all of their albums, one each night. Well, each night they'd play an album, and then play an encore of assorted other songs. And, because they only have six albums, one of the nights was dedicated to B-sides and unreleased songs. Basically it was an entire week of shows for the hardcore fans, and because the band is pro-bootleg, anyone can download and listen to these shows. Plus, because they had to practice all of their music to get prepped for these shows, the band was able to throw out some crazy set lists on the subsequent tour, and they sounded even tighter than usual.

Every Halloween for about a decade, Local H would play a show as another band. Not only did the band cover the songs of whatever act they were, but they also stayed in character all night. They performed as Nirvana, The Doors, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and more. And going in, the audience didn't know what band Local H would be that night. Though I never got to go (as I don't live in Chicago) I have heard bootlegs, and they are amazingly entertaining. I wish more bands would do stuff like this.

For one tour, Local H did all request shows. As you walked in the door you were handed a ballot,a nd you were allowed to check off what songs you most wanted to hear. Everyone was also given one write in vote, which lead to some interesting covers being played on some nights. Setlists varried from night to night all tour. If ever there was a time to follow the band around and go to multiple shows, this was it.

Some years ago, the band sold a show on E-bay. They put themselves up for auction and would go play a show wherever the highest bidder wanted them to. This idea has since ben coppied by some bigger bands, but to my knowledge, Local H was the first to do so. Earlier this year, the band gave a free concert in Chicago before a White Sox game. The only way to get tickets was to find Scott, the singer, wandering the streets of Chicago, and say a password to him that was advertised on the band's web site.

So, yeah, these shows were gimmics. They weren't the height of artistry. But they were fun for the band and for the fans. And isn't that what you want out of a concert?