@AndyShore “What do I know?” rang out through the crowd during Keane’s encore of “Bedshaped” at the Aragon Ballroom as we headed for the exits. I had gone into this show knowing nothing about Keane, and it was an appropriate thought to send me into the night. After seeing them for my first time, here’s what I know about Keane:

Lead singer Tom Chaplin has a dice move. Nearly every single song, Chaplin would find his way to the front or one of the far sides of the stage. He would kneel down and reach upwards towards to crowd. This move is an effective staple of most good front-men. It’s not so special when it happens song after song. With Chaplin, it’s pretty much all he’s got.

Tim Rice-Oxley disproportionately rocks out. At all times, Rice-Oxley is head-banging and doing whatever he can to drive up the energy from behind his keys. The problem is, he’s always rocking out way harder than the music dictates. If Chaplin hadn’t told the crowd several times that this was the best night of their tour, I would have been seriously skeptical of the seemingly forced act.

It is possible to have not enough rock for one hand. During an extended lull in their set, (assuming you would say it wasn’t all a lull) we discussed the possibility of not rocking hard enough for one hand. At first it was shown by doing the rock hands with just the index and ring fingers. After a while it was decided that using the index finger was too much. Keane was downgraded to the middle and pinky fingers.

Good opportunity to make “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” references. Every time Chaplin bantered to the crowd, his thick British accent came through. This sparked several lines from Forgetting Sarah Marshall from my group of friends. Hey Chaplin, “You sound like you’re from London.”

Overall, the show was not horrible. I can’t complain about a free ticket. Keane definitely had their moments, though most were too short lived. They also had an impressive light show. I spent a lot of time people watching. It was hard to tell if everybody was into the band, or if all the dudes were just pretending because their girlfriends liked them. Keane is not a band I will rush back to see again.

Related posts:

1. Umphrey’s McGee at the Eagles Ballroom 11/14
2. Lupe Fiasco from the M-A-D-I to the S-O-N (Avenue)
3. Dead Weather at the Bowery Ballroom
4. Jason Segel thinks the wedding should be at Bonnaroo