The Details

Silversun Pickups

The Joint, July 16

How to survive in a slumping concert economy? Pool three quality bands for one $24 bill. The Joint filled most of its lower level that way last Friday, despite the presence of Tool at nearby Planet Hollywood. Wilco-ish LA quintet The Henry Clay People played the role of solid opener. Political punkers Against Me! were a strange fit musically, but seemed to please a good portion of the crowd. And the headlining Silversun Pickups absolutely raged. Way more My Bloody Valentine than Smashing Pumpkins on this tour, Brian Aubert and his mates pelted the room with noisy wave after brain-crushing noisy wave. Songs? "Kissing Families," "Lazy Eye," "Panic Switch" and the rest, but it hardly mattered what they played; on this night it was all about how they played. And man, those Pickups played hard.