Louis XIV @ Metro (5/25/2005)

Louis XIV: Same Old Song & Glam

The recently remodeled Rock 'N' Roll McDonald's in downtown Chicago has a lot in common with Louis XIV--they both have more to do with appearances and less to do with rock 'n' roll. To even consider the original Rock 'N' Roll McDonald's as rocking is saying something. A #2 Combo Meal (two cheeseburgers) with a #5 Combo Meal (10-piece McNuggets) equalled the cost of one ticket to Louis XIV's all-ages concert at Metro. It begged the question: which of the two were the better choice?

The room was packed inside Metro. Early in the week, Metro and Jam Productions sent out e-mails to people on their individual mailing lists with complimentary passes to the show. So, had the free passes not been provided, perhaps the show would never have reached full capacity. That probably wouldn't have mattered to the San Diego band. Louis XIV walked onto stage with swagger in their steps as if already in their minds thinking what a privilege it was for the crowd to have them come play songs. Seeing the four members in their stylishly knitted threads it's understandable why they would be chosen to share an upcoming bill with current hype band the Killers.

Spreading out material from their major label release The Best Little Secrets Are Kept, Louis XIV gave all the more reason why there should be a moratorium placed on the garage rock revival. No rock band has a hold on originality, but now and then there's a band that provides a different twist on an old trick. All the eyeliner and faux English accents will never take the place for a good song. Hamming it up to the crowd every chance they could, Louis XIV dished out song after song that seemed only to act as a slight variation of the previously performed song. "Pledge of Allegiance" shimmied and shaked to no great heights. "The Hunt" was a poor attempt to flex the band's musicianship to the crowd by proving they could branch out into something that wouldn't even pass for Delta blues.

The hype is terribly misplaced on Louis XIV. Sure, dumb rock songs will never fade away, but the really good, absurd crowd pleasers trip upon some sort of hook that give them feet to stand on. For all the flash that bands like the Darkness or Franz Ferdinand have, they at least back it up with alluring hooks.

The lone highlight of the night came from Chicago's own Caviar who opened the show with fellow locals Ladies And Gentlemen. Lead singer Blake Smith told the crowd that Caviar tried to think of a cover song that was long enough to fill the rest of their set and, so, without a care in the world the band took the Who's 1966 mini-rock opera "A Quick One, While He's Away" out for a run. In the hands of Caviar, the song melted with raw energy. Its free, unrelenting attitude--in front of a crowd that probably never once heard a song by Pete Townshend--made it the epitome of punk and for that moment created something real on stage.

In the end, the french fries weren't too bad.