Maxwell’s (continued from last week)
Last week, I listed ten of my favorite shows ever at Maxwell’s, the venerable Hoboken club that will be closing its doors next month. Upon completing the list, though, I realized that I’d left out a few really great shows that deserved to make the list. So this week, , here’s another list of some of the great shows I’ve seen I’ve seen at Maxwell’s.
Radio 4 with The Faint and Zero Zero – Maxwell’s (Hoboken) – June 6, 2001
One of several Radio 4 shows I saw at Maxwell’s, they almost single-handedly (before the big revival) brought the spirit and sound of early ’80s post-punk into the early ’00s as filtered via former hardcore and punk kids. I wasn’t much of a fan of The Faint then and still take that position, but they played well. Zero Zero was fun as well, particularly watching members of LifetimeStereolab-inspired music.
Rival Schools with Thursday – Maxwell’s (Hoboken) – August 15, 2001
I didn’t even know this show was hap>pening, but happened to be walking by the club that night and the bouncer (a friend) let me in. I’m glad I went because Thursday was fantastic. Though I’d known their singer Geoff Rickly since college, it turned out to be the only time I ever saw them. They were at the peak of their powers then, supporting Full Collapse, and frankly they blew Rival Schools off the stage. I’d never seen a hardcore type show with dancing and diving at Maxwell’s and wouldn’t again.
Longwave – Maxwell’s (Hoboken) – August 2, 2003
There was nothing particularly notable about this show as opposed to the other times I saw Longwave play in the early to mid ’00s at other venues like North Six (now Music Hall of Williamsburg) except that they were supporting The Strangest Things, their major label debut and also their best album, and they played a terrific headlining set!
The Pernice Brothers – Maxwell’s (Hoboken) – some time in summer of 2003
This show is notable because it was the first time I ever saw The Pernice Brothers, a band I’ve seen many times since then in both New York and here in Philadelphia (though they haven’t played a show here since 2006), not to mention the times we’ve seen main man Joe Pernice play solo. Suffice it to say, they became a big favorite of mine after this shown (I went not hearing a note of their music just based on the justifiably great reviews they got in this magazine), as I picked up The World Won’t End and never looked back!
The Wrens with True Love – Maxwell’s (Hoboken) – January 24, 2004
Here is a show I’m listing because I kind of messed up. I won tickets to see this and walked all the way across town all bundled up on one of the coldest nights of that year, but instead of watching The Wrens (who I’d have to wait a few years to see), I caught up with some friends at the bar during their set after watching True Love’s fun opening set. It’s OK, though, as eventually I got to see them and I had a great time anyway!
The Kaiser Chiefs – Maxwell’s (Hoboken) – March 29, 2005
Here’s another case of a band that was already huge in the UK with only one album playing a tiny club on their first U.S. tour. Oh, and of course, they were absolutely great!
The dB’s -Maxwell’s (Hoboken) – September 19 , 2005
Please see my full review here.
The Stills with Rogue Wave – Maxwell’s (Hoboken) – June 2, 2006
Please see my full review here.
Band of Horses – Maxwell’s (Hoboken) – June 17, 2006
Please see my full review here.
The Effigies with EDP – Maxwell’s (Hoboken) – July 26, 2008
Please see my full review here.
