Keane at Portland's Roseland Theater

Keane @ Roseland in Portland
Originally uploaded by andiamotutti.

I know I'm a bit late in getting to this review, since the show happened on Monday... But it's been a busy week...

Anyway, Chris & I went to see Keane at the Roseland Theater on Monday, and it was a fantastic show. I was expecting to enjoy myself, but I wasn't expecting to be as impressed as I was. Keane's music is great on CD, and Tom's voice is lovely, but I'm a fan of singers who can make that same magic live - and I'm always ready to be disappointed by vocalists who use studio tricks and then can't carry it off live. Tom isn't that kind of vocalist. He's even better live, as he's got a ton of energy behind that voice. I swear, he was drenched in sweat by the middle of the first song from all the leaping around he was doing. (It was great to see Tom so energetic, especially as their last Portland concert had to be canceled due to his brief stay in rehab last year. He's lost weight, it appears, and seems really happy to be back on the road.)

The other guys are no slouches, either, though in my eyes the biggest round of applause is due to Tim, the keyboardist. This is a band made up of a singer, a keyboardist and a drummer. I was convinced they'd bring out a guitarist or another keyboard player to back them up live, to make the live show sound more like the recordings, but I'll be damned - the three guys in the band are the only ones who make all that noise. Granted, much of the music is probably computer-based now and controlled by Tim at the keyboard, but still. I was impressed. I've also never seen a keyboard player move quite as much as he did, while never straying from his spot behind the keyboards.

The boys had apparently had a day off prior to the Portland show, and said they'd made a day-trip into the Columbia Gorge, which was fun to hear. I'll bet they don't get much time to actually see many of the places they visit on tour, so it's fun to know they've got more than a concert memory of Portland. There are photos from their trek into the Gorge (including one shot of the band and their tour manager in front of Multnomah Falls) at their website.

I got a few pictures of the show, although because it was general admission and I'm, well, short - they're not fabulous. There are, however, some good pictures of a few of the band's recent concert appearances here. I look forward to their next Portland show - this is a band I think both Chris and I will be happy to see live again.