The Interpol concert at the BankUnited Center wasn’t the highlight of most people’s day. As a matter of fact, there were a few people outside of the venue trying to get rid of their tickets. Yes, that’s right, they were actually giving their tickets away.
“Someone just gave me a ticket in the computer lab,” Margaret Scott, a senior, said. She said this was a good thing because she wouldn’t have purchased her own ticket. “$32.50? I have better things to do with my money.”
As fans slowly began to fill the venue, parts of which was closed off by black curtains, the opening band Liars took the stage. Not the greatest choice for an opening act, the noise-rock band seemed to keep the crowd cool when they should have been busy warming them up for the headliners.
Aussie lead singer Angus Andrew strutted around the stage sporting a white suit. He desperately tried to pump up a crowd who really didn’t have a clue what was going on. Their set included songs from their recent self-titled album and previous tracks from last year’s “Drums Not Dead.” The only real reaction the band received came after Andrew compared the band’s percussion section to the Miami Sound Machine. Their experimental rock seemed to have stunned the audience members, who looked on as though longing for the end of the band’s set.
Nearing 10 p.m., Interpol finally took the stage and opened up with “Pioneer to the Falls,” a surprisingly slow-paced track from their recent effort “Our Love to Admire.” They soon kicked things up a bit with “Obstacle 1” from the popular “Turn On the Bright Lights.”
The sound was extremely polished and professional, leaving no hint of the earlier live shows that were a bit raw. Drummer Sam Forgarino was on point, making their beats sound like a drum machine at times. Guitarist Daniel Kessler was in constant motion around his half of the stage, shuffling around to his supply of impressive riffs. Carlos D, decked out in attire that made him look like a villainous goth from the Wild West, provided smooth bass lines, but the real entertainment came from his theatrical movements on stage.
Although singer Paul Banks wasn’t much of a talker between songs, he was extremely sharp behind the mic. His voice, which has been compared to Joy Division’s Ian Curtis, was flawless during songs like “Mammoth” and “Pioneer to the Falls.”
The band left the stage for a brief moment before coming back for three last encore tracks. One of which was “PDA,” a favorite that the crowd had been waiting for.
In a nutshell, listening to Interpol live is the same as listening to the tracks on an iPod, only more enjoyable since there is some visual entertainment. Liars may not have been the best choice for an opening band, but the show definitely ended on a high note. Although many were not too thrilled about the ticket price for the show, Interpol definitely delivered and left fans in Miami wanting more.
Marcos Col