They Might Be Giants . . . someday

Due to good fortune, we were able to secure tickets to a free, corporate sponsored show for They Might Be Giants. While the headlining act was good, the most impressive part of the night was the opening band: Oppenheimer.

The duo consisting of Rocky O'Reilly & Shaun Robinson, both hailing from Belfast, Northern Ireland, brought an honest energy to the night that, frankly, wasn't matched at any other point for the duration of the evening.

When they took the stage, there was a sense of something . . . amiss. We weren't sure if they were stage hands or groupies who had found their way onto the stage. One looked like a 15 yr old, video game playing, husky, Jack White; the other, a dead ringer for a young, shorn headed, Dana Carvey. We didn't know what to expect.

A quick introduction and they broke into the first song. Immediately the atmosphere changed. It was a welcomed surprise to here the clear and tight sound of some seasoned musicians. Just as things got hot—Rocky's guitar strap broke. He was able to kneel on the stage and finish up the song while playing it upright like a stand up bass. The great thing was, they were both all smiles.

While Rocky prepared his backup guitar, Shaun, the lead vocal/drummer, told the tale of their last minute arrival and of all the days events that lead to their moment on stage.

A failed transmission in the tour van, backed up traffic and getting lost on the way to the venue all lead up to a mad dash to show time.

With that kind of a day, most opening acts would just want to get the set over with and behind them. This night, however, proved to be a great show. They handled the situation like real pros.

The crowd was with them and pretty charged up. The deeper the band got into the set, the more the crowd responded. Although a little more mayhem ensued (see blog excerpt below), you could tell that everyone, band included, was having a great time.

From Rocky O'Reilly's blog:
"He thinks the transmission is destroyed we were going up hills at approx 11 mph.
we thought we weren't going to make it.
I think it was bad fuel, that made gerry's anger blossom somewhat.

Long, swear-filled, story short - we make it to the venue (after traffic is backed up due to an accident - and we get lost!) one minute after doors open.
The Giants people - who are all amazing and have been so nice every night are there to help load our gear in and get set up and plugged in.

I cant believe we made it.
My guitar fell to pieces in the first song - need to re screw the strap into it tomorrow.
I hit myself in the face with the 2nd guitar,
but apart from all those things, we had a great day!!! "
Oppenheimer has all the right things going for them: Solid showmanship, Irish accents, and a stylized mix between Mixel Pixel, The Postal Service & Zapp's Roger Troutman—minus the funk. The fact that Shaun made reference to "Twin Peaks" only puts them that much higher on our list.

You can never go wrong with a TMBG show. They've got a formula that has kept people's attention well into the last three decades. This time, however, get to the show early. Oppenheimer is opening each date through November 24th.
www.oppenheimermusic.co.uk/

www.myspace.com/oppenheimer