Sonic Youth

I had high expectations for this concert and Sonic Youth totally exceeded them. They played mostly songs from their new album which rocks just as much as their older stuff. They are masters of noise. They best part is whatever noise, distortion, effects, and experimentation they play, it is always interesting. I could watch them for hours. They were looking a little bit old, but still definitely a great band that I would love to see again.

Great show! Cold cave was a great touch for openers, Dinosaur Jr really put on a show-lots of energy and favorite songs! Sonic Youth played a long and full set, but missed a few opportunities to get the crowd going.

these rockers still have it. their pioneered distortion and electronic sound comes out well received by fans. there is a constant innovation and evolution that the band has been involved with for quite some time. the music remains true to its roots. there is no need to re-invent a sound you perpetually are refining, mastering, and communicating.

Definately one of the best shows I've ever been to

It is the second time i see sonic youth and it's always worth to travel long just to see them because they are monsters, savages, genious. Sometimes i am afraid of getting deaf 'cause of those beautifully noisy guitars! i really love their music, it makes my body and soul floating and travel to different levels of ecstasy and crazyness. i can tell that mi am so lucky now that i have seen sonic youth ! i can't wait to see them again!

very good. thanks to all. sound was great. venue is beautiful

Great show, they were in amazing form. The United Palace Theater is an incredible venue, so gorgeous and lush.

Sonic Youth played at a fantastic venue: The United Palace Theater. It is a large theater that resembles The Beacon Theater but with more culture embedded. Sonic Youth still knew how to play punk. The age of them had little to no effect on how good and crazy they were. Their crazy strobe lights combined with the stage antics put on an amazing show. As a musician, I can say there clearly no loose ends up there; musically they were very tight. Overall fantastic show!

I've seen Sonic Youth perform at many different venues and they almost always put on a great show. I even enjoy some of their noise shows, with the notable exception of their insulting, torturous, masturbatory jaunt at the aptly-named No Fun Fest a few weeks ago. Last night's show, by contrast, at the decrepit United Palace Theater was a great mix of strong new material and pre-Geffen classics, and would have warranted an extra star or two were it not for the fact that the venue is simply not audio friendly. I've seen Beck and Modest Mouse at this venue also, and there is just no getting around the fact that the sound is poor at this venue. Muffled, yet too loud, and not well mixed. That said, it was still a great performance, and Sonic Youth have composed some terrific new songs on The Eternal.

This was a great event the venue was amazing the acoustics in the united theatre were awesome. The band came out for 3 encores and it was a standing room only. still wish the show went longer. I meet Kim and thursten after the show and received autographs. To bad about the tour bus door that the bus driver jammed other then that it would have been a perfect evening

Sonic Youth tore it up. They closed real strong and the entire show was full force. My only complaint is that the acoustics in the theater were a little too spacious. Sound got muddied. But he sound engineering improved as the show progressed.

Overall, it was pretty good. I didn't listen to the new album... I think that was a mistake because overwhelmingly their material seemed to be from the new album. I don't think they played any daydream nation at all. I've listened to some of their other albums but not as thoroughly, so I ended up not recognizing anything. But, they still put on a good show. The opening band, "Entrance band" was pretty awesome though.

The venue was great, not too big so I could see the band well, after a while Thurston encouraged the people to approach the stage so my view was even better...and the performance was great as expected from Sonic Youth.

superb, cosmic, punk, sonic .........................

Sonic Youth are getting better and better from past shows i've seen

the band was awesome, the venue glittering and special. i would give it five stars, but for the first half of the show the sound was terrible - the lows and mids were booming and the overall sound was like a mirky dirge. sonic youth is definitely about the wall of sound and how cacophony can be beautiful, but that also requires that you are able to hear what's going on instead of just "blah!" the sound seemed to get sorted out by the second half, however, and they blew me away. so impressive to be so tight, powerful and rocking after all these years. the new album is fresh-sounding and alive.

Great venue and Sonic Youth rocked on stage. As they entered, nobody remained seated. 3 encores and the public was closer to the stage. It was awesome!

The trip to 175th Street was well worth it. Beautiful, ornate, spacious, faded velvet venue set backdrop for a solid two-hour concert. It seemed more polished, somewhat traditional rock and roll during the main set, (which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, just unexpected). They let loose during the encores--wild, more of the trademark feedbacky sounds. Spectacular.

My first SY show after all these years and they didn't dissapoint - setlist was mostly the new album, which was fine since its a great set of songs. Thurston is the tall gawky guitar madman I was hoping for; Kim still totally hot in her playing, singing, and slinking around in that silver lame dress. Lee's vocals were biting. The band was tight, well rehearsed though they still allowed for a fair amount of chaos here and there - which is what its all about. Only complaint: set was a little short (is this a usual SY thing?, I don't know,) - showtime was 8PM and including the opening act we were outta there at 10:30 or so!!! I could have used another hour including some of Daydream, Goo, Murray Street, etc. etc. United Palace is a great venue!

Lots of tunes from The Eternal, their new album. The band has still got it: profesional musicians who have honed thier craft; Thurston Moore was jumping around like it was 1985.

Great show. I hope I don't have to wait another year before they come back to Philly. Catholic Block Sacred Trickster What We Know Calming the Snake No Way Antenna Leaky Lifeboat Malibu Gas Station Poison Arrow Anti-Orgasm Walkin Blue Massage the History Death Valley '69 The Sprawl 'Cross the Breeze Thunderclap Silver Rocket

Whether or not you have ever listened to a single one of the bands 16 full length albums, Sonic Youth put on an easily enjoyable show playing nearly all of their newest release, The Eternal, and a choice selection of older hits from admittedly better albums. Which brings me to my last point, even if you've been a follower of the band and don't beleive they quite hit their best with The Eternal, their demanding stage presence made all the tracks from it easily much more enjoyable then their recorded counterparts.

Sonic youth, shoegaze legends were not at the top of their game. The electric factory is a great venue normally but the mix for this show was awful.

electric factory is okay, but bad sound/bad sound crew were rough. also don't park on the street, police check the meters like crazy.

this concert was absolutely amazing. kurt vile went on first with his band, and they were incredible! THEN, the entrance band goes on, who were equally awesome, and finally sonic youth!! my feet were killing me and i was so hot, but i didn't care because it was sooo awesome.

Sonic Youth put on another great show at the Electric Factory 7/2. This is the 3rd time I've seen them play the venue, and they continue to amaze.

I've been a fan of SY and their related projects for well over 20+ years. They have a wide and varied discography that spans these 20 years. Why, then, did they play nearly their entire new (and kinda boring) album, and neglect almost their entire back catalog?! I mean, I get it, you're excited by the new material, but most, MOST of your fans want to hear the Olde Stuff, the Good Stuff, not the album you cranked out for Matador. Seriously, I love SY, but a live set consisting of about 98% of the new album and 2% from your CLASSIC material? Lame.

Kim, Thurston and the boys. The Electric Factory. Incredible. Speechless. No Words. Perfection.

this weekend was the first time Ive been to one of their shows and it was great. the music sounded good and the lights were awesome. will definably will be going to their next show around here.

Sonic Youth played at Massey Hall in Toronto, and put up a show for a crowd to remember. Playing just about every song from The Eternal only after opening to She is Not Alone from their debut. With an amazing light show and two encore's with outstanding playing, this show will be remembered.

I consider Sonic Youth to be among the greatest of all time, with Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Pink Floyd and the other legends of the genre. This is not an inclusion taken lightly, and Sonic Youth's overwhelming influence on music in general is baffling when considering the current batch of upcoming indie rock bands. This particular show (and, judging by the set lists of previous shows, most of this tour) was a major disappointment for me. Though the performance, lighting and presence were all above average, the simple fact was that they played obscure, lesser-known songs almost exclusively. Imagine going to a Metallica concert where they didn't play Battery or Master of Puppets or Enter Sandman. This would not be a proper concert, and would never happen because the show that they put on is designed to maximize the pleasure of the viewing audience, and audiences want to hear songs that they know. The same holds true of the (admittedly, very different) audience for Sonic Youth. There are several songs that the entire audience were screaming for them to play, chief among them Teenage Riot, 100% and Schizophrenia, and there was no such hope for the fans to have their appetites whetted. Though the technical mastery put on display by these originators of the offbeat and occult was an impressive sight to behold, the inability of anyone in the audience to recognize what was being played was a major downturn from what was widely expected to be the show of a lifetime. While I and most everyone in the audience respect Sonic Youth's artistic license to do whatever they damn well please, it is my opinion that a show should be catered to the needs of the general populace that paid to see it. This may be an affront to the creativity and nonconformity of most bands, but the greatest bands understand that they would not be where they are today without fans and play songs that they themselves may even hate in an effort to please. While Sonic Youth is still one of the most influential bands of all time, they could take a Business 101 course in catering to the customer no matter what.

I really enjoyed my experience at Variety Playhouse. Good set, great sound, comfortable. Cool people, stuff to snack on, drinks. Lighting was intense- perfect. Now for Sonic Youth!! :D From start to finish, I enjoyed each song. The Eternal= kick ass album. And the extra songs? AWESOME!! Death Valley '69 was SOO awesome.! Rockin!! btw, I love Kim

Nashville, TN - July 11, 2009 - Like the sonic goddess holding court, Kim Gordon still evokes some strange sense of rhythmic energy as she turned the War Memorial into a hypnotic pagan ritual dance behind the tight waves of sound led by Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo, and the deep color driving beats of Steve Shelley and Mark Ibold. A platinum sacrificial lamb that pleases the musical gods. Foxy Lady? - Stone Free!

After a terrific dinner at Malecon, across the street from the venue, a restaurant so homey and lip-smackingly appealing that it was no surprise to see Lee Ranaldo and Mark Ibold finishing their meal and racing back to work, I was prepared for an evening of famililar material from old friends. This, however, wasn't what came to pass. Sonic Youth opened their show with a song from their new album! And they continued to offer up a majority of the show's content from that same new record, "The Eternal", which, to my mind, is the best they've produced in a while. As my friend said so succinctly, "When a classic band announces, 'Here's a song from our new album,' that's when you go get a beer." Instead, SY had the crowd yelping like feeding pups awaiting the latest and least familiar even more eagerly than a greatest-hits rehash that would have been welcome in any event. Yes, they did play a few "hits", including a killer encore with "Death Valley 69," but these old dogs are neither lying down nor forgetting that they are capable, vital and still on top, new tricks and all. Bravo.

They still got it after all these years. What better place than in Williamsburg!

Sonic Youth is an ideal band to see outdoors. Their sound combined with their ability to just improvise and jam out with feedback and sound makes them not just a band to hear and see but to be experienced. Williamsburg was a great venue for them.

All the stars in my review goes to the park on East River, Brooklin. The place is beautiful, the event was well organized and I had a great time hanging out with my boyfriend. The shows, however, didn't excite me at all. The opening bands were too weak (can't even remember their names) and Sonic Youth was not in good shape. Not at all. The show was boring, tiring, almost bureaucratic.

Good show. Kim Gordon can shake it. It was sort of surreal--everywhere we looked had a view. And it's also Sonic Youth. You can't get much better.

Such a great location. Beautiful weather. An amazing performance. Superb evening!

Amazing performance! Best concert I've ever seen! I don't think I could have chosen a better setlist.

I loved it! I wanted them to play forever! I just would've liked to hear Kim and Lee say a little more.

the concert of the summer was sonic youth,if you werent there then your a square or just become your parents and put your depends on!! no joke!. Sonic ripped the stage a blazing sonic gutiar noise mayhem,they were totally fueled up with nothing to appeove but thenselves,it wasn't yesterday but today's music almost doing their entire catalog o. it was a total surpraise of the songs they decided to cover within the hour and a half, the crowd went crazy sing along dancing shaking out the ghost within themselves.the devils were alive on friday night special, if you were weak you wouldn't survive the crazyness of the thunderous gutiar white noise of sonic madness. a truly amazing concert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMAGAD I totely went to see them cuz sonic youth sounsds like its ganna B literaly like a hipster band and everything but the they were like literaly not cuz they wrre like older then my mom lol my moms fortey lol an the lady singer was like 58 almost 60 it sayed on wikipeda an then the guys in the band were all grey old fat guys like my uncle accept the rally tall guy he look like he was literaly a hipster cuz he wore a plaid flanel shirt plus skinny jeans plus totely modern converse chuck stars so i kno he was young i sware he was literaly did not fit in with the others on the banned my girlfrend said his name was thirsty or somethin so i like him he was cute but the rest were literaly like my grammas freinds then they played okay but i hated the end cuz they played an stopped totely said it was literaly there last SONG!!!! so we all claped til they came back out then they literaly played ONE SONG an left!!1 so we totely claped again and they came out again and LITERALY JUST PAYED ONE SONG AGAIN! SO then they literaly LEFT THE STAGE AGAIN! Then we claped more an they came back AGAIN an literaly played ONE SONG an left... OK so this was 4 TIMES we ONCORED them an each time THEY LITERALY only played ONE SONG!!!!! SO they did it 6 times, it would of gone on forever but EVRYONE WAS ANGERY!!! Cuz they literaly came out a HALF DOZZEN TIMES to make ONE SONG ONCORES!! If they played 2 or 3 songs each time we woulda liked it more. SO my revew is like this now: ONE: there to OLD and TWO: there BORING and C: there ONCORES were STUPED!

Laser razor pieces of pure energy served on the perfect night

Was a great show! I hope they can do another one soon! although i wish i music was louder and the event staff were more relaxed.

Sonic Youth cranked out the deep cuts from Confusion is Sex and Bad Moon Raising. also played a song off Thurston's PHearts solo record from the 90's.

Great rock event! Wonderful location. I've never seen SY before, their music is not my favourite one but they are huge.

Sonic Youth is always excellent - but this show was the best that I have seen them perform

This show was super fun. I wih that they would have played a bit longer.

Sonic Youth played a tremendous free show in Brooklyn's Prospect park on July 31. Their trademark ferocity had mellowed a bit with age, (this was my first sy set since about 91), but the setlist catered to older, longtime fans. For better or worse, there wasn't a single song included from the latest release "The Eternal". The show featured one song from 1990's "Goo" ("Mote"), and everything else was from "Daydream Nation" (88) or earlier. The volume could have been a bit higher, and indeed the material demanded it. But early favorites like "Brother James", (from the 1983 "Kill Yr. Idols" ep), and "Shaking Hell", (from the first full-length LP, 1983's "Confusion is Sex"), were played with an ultra-professional tightness and precision beyond the band's capabilities back when the material was fresh. I subtracted one star because the area nearest the stage was surrounded by a huge fence, and security stopped letting people in early in the night, (long before the main part of the venue was filled up). Even later, when many people unfamiliar with the band, (who had simply showed up for a free concert), began to file out long before the set's finish, noone was allowed in to get closer. This left many of us struggling to find a spot from which we could see the long distance to the stage... as I said already, it didn't help matters that the volume was pretty low. Most likely this was to accomodate community rules for an outdoor show in a park in a residential neighborhood.

I highly recommend seeing Sonic Youth! I love going to shows all the time and out of all the shows I have been to this is by far the top of my list. They did not only one but TWO encores! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

The show was first cancelled and then was rescheduled about 3 months later which was pretty cool because my sister and I totally forgot we even bought tickets to this event. That was actually the cool thing about this show. Anyways, they put on a good show as expected.

They delivered a great set that I wasn't disappointed with; however, they could have picked a better openining band.

AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!!!!! I love Sonic Youth so freaking much I wanna c them again and again and again! This is the first time I've actually been able to see them perform LIVE and I can't WAIT to c them AGAIN!!! Soooooooo unbelievable! I was kinda upset the way most of the kids in the crowd were just standing there looking at them like they weren't even fans or something!!! I, on the other hand, was JUMPING UP AND DOWN LIKE CRAZY AND COULDN'T STOP MOVING HEARING THEIR UUUUHHHHH-MAZING MUSIC BEING PLAYED RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF ME!!! Unforgetable show!!!!! Best time of my life! Love all the members on Sonic Youth and I hope they keep comin to Pomona to perform even tho the kids didn't show much enthusiasm. Would've DIED if they played "Schizophrenia", one of my all time fav's, but still was out of this world!

What can I say, after months of listening to the new album, it was enhanced dramatically for me by the live performance. Sonic Youth is one of a rare breed, musicians in the truest form. This concert rocked. My neck still hurts from all the jumping and whipping. Ending the concert with some old classics was the cherry on top.

I have a couple Sonic Youth albums and always liked them only in the way you might like something you think would be cool to like. Onstage they are a different band, never mannered or the least bit boring and totally convincing. With three guitars, lots of feedback, and the vocals blending rather than being picked out for singularity, the band creates a kind of collective musical consciousness that seems to float above them rather than emanating from any one musician. This just isn't something you can record. Fox Theatre Pomona an excellent venue\u2014great sound, pleasant adjoining bar, historical atmosphere, easy parking & access.

Sonic Youth was amazing to see live, they sounded to good. I loved everything about the show. The lighting effects were pretty cool too.

Ive was fortunate enough to see Sonic Youth during their Dirty tour, at which point I became a fan. They have an amazing sound that you just have to see/feel/vibe live to understand. Imagine that there is a hypothetical ceiling that all live music sound is bound to. Sonic Youth has the ability to breach that barrier and take sound to a new place. The house of blues was meh. It seems sort of sacrilegious to put SY in the same room with ads of Roast Beef, Ribs, Football, and the overall plebeian mentality, but it IS San Diego, after all. So, I guess this frailty in an otherwise great show can be overlooked.

To be short, like the performance, the band played strong and passionately, but the venue didn't let them spread their wings. Wish they had come back for another set...it was just too short overall--the show ended before 11pm.

Great set list that mixed the current record with many tunes from Daydream Nation. They ended on Cross the Breeze. How cool is that? Cool seeing Mark Ibold on bass.

great sound, near flawless execution of new sonngs from 'the Eternal'.

They played their new album which is pretty good and a bunch of 80's classics. Thurston and Lee were in sync and that was a good thing.

They rocked..They rolled..They blew us away! And the venue was perfect

Mostly played tracks from the new album The Eternal. Not that I have a problem with that.

genious artists that know how to make music and noise, what else to say?

Seeing them earlier in the year up in Harlem they showcased a ton of new tunes too. Were they tight on both nights? Hell yeah. Just wanted to hear something I haven't heard. Safe bets with the oldies.

Great show. Like the Wilbur as a venue. Feelies did a great job, but it was Sonic Youth I went to see. No disappointments.

This was the seventh time I have had the pleasure of seeing Sonic Youth and to date it was the best show. The band's playing couldn't have been tighter and sitting in the mezzanine section of the Wilbur simply allow the quality of the music to be fantastic. I was able to hear the vocals every bit as well as the guitars. The music leaned heavily on their new album which is one of their better albums. I might have preferred a few more oldies but the quality of their play and the sound made that matter little. I think the most incredible thing of the night was at the end of the song History of the Message as the guitars wound down you could have heard a pin drop the audience myself include were so mesmerized by the band. Two unbelievable encores and the night was done. I waited three months for this show bought my tickets the first day they were on sale and I wasn't disappointed in the least. Hats off to the Feelies too as they were fantastic as well. A pleasant surprise for me as I was not to familar with their music.

The show was great. Absurdly loud, but great. Couldn't hear right for two days, but it was basically worth it. Both of these bands kick a*@.

this is the first time i've seen Sonic Youth live, and i never thought they would be so downright amazing. after seeing them live, I feel like now i finally "get" them. I'm in love

The band was very tight, and looked great. They played hard and fast. I kinda wish they had varied the tempo a little more on their jams, and played 1-2 of the chill tracks from Murray Street.

Dino Jr. rocked out big time... Shredd is the word! Played old tunes and some never played live tunes.... Sonic Youth still rock like it's 1988 ... their sound was incredible and they still entertain. Thurston is wild... he was rubbing his guitar on everything, the stack and it fell on top of him, on the floor, the mic stand.. he was going crazy! They played 3 encores ... EPIC!

Bravatto, minimalism, exploration, wandering, noise, fast, intoxicating. (+ a Pavement guy)

Both bands were amazing - Dinosaur Jr had a great set and Sonic Youth played for almost 2 hours! Well worth it and a great pairing!!!!

Solid show. Thurston really seemed to be enjoying himself. Ibold didn't stop smiling once.

Sound and vision intact! Great show! Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. did what they do best...Rocked the house.

This was literally the most incredible show I have ever been to. Everybody rocked the house down.

Great show, although it could've been louder! Maybe next time!

Dino Jr. played a remarkable set covering a lot of years worth of songs. Cold Cave (which opened) was mediocre and I have nothing good or bad to say about them. Sonic Youth had great sound mix and played with so much energy. However, they could have played more of their hit songs.

What a great show. It's awesome to see that both Dinosaur Jr & Sonic Youth can still put on a kick ass rock show.

Dinosaur Jr. and Sonic Youth rocked. The only downfall of the whole night was the less than great sound at Terminal 5. But, the bands rule!

sONIC YOUTH WAS EPIC!! DINOSAUR JR. AMAZING LOVED IT

Yes, their unique wall of guitars and dark vocals still thrill after all these years! Some of my show faves were Teen Age Riot, Sacred Trickster, Incinerate. I think I heard Kool Thing, but am not sure - if I did it was wildly reworked. Too bad, since that was the one song I REALLY would have liked to hear in its original form as I haven't seen them before. To be sure they must get tired of playing such an oldie, I get it...But, still and all, the show was great!

I have loved Sonic Youth for a long time, but never bothered to see if there were still around until now. Fox Theater was a great venue, the sound was great and the band rocked me arsehole. They even came back twice to play more songs, everyone refused to leave, the lights, the sounds were all combined to make this an amazing night. I haven't felt this excited about a show since MBV, but of course nothing will compare to that. I definitely recommend checking them out live.

Fantastic interior.... This place is art deco ed out to the max and I enjoyed the environment. It was still an uptight "big" show complete with all the inconveniences of security and impersonal crowds and expensive drinks... Hardly sounds like sonic youth to me but what can you do, they're old and still rock

Saw them about two years ago in Vegas, and the show back then was much more Sonic Youth old school - walls of ambiant noise, long chords, and a little less "pop" feel to it. The Oakland show this past weekend was a much tighter set, seemed to be more crowd-pleasing, but missing some of their greatest hits.

took my 12 y/o daughter...loved the show. Was a bit disappointed didnt play Kool Thing. Fox is a fantastic venue.

The show was amazing. I was amazed at the intensity this band put out there. Even thought they have been around for more than 25 years they play like it's their first big gig. Plus they did two encores which I don't think I have ever seen before.

they were really into what they were doing. great show!

Absolutely amazing! It has been 13 years since I have seen them and they were even better than I remember.

Sonic Youth was as always great but the Fox Theater left a lot to be desired. Visually striking, the resurected theater looks great but the sound quality left a lot to be desired. Muddy vocals and murky blurred sound made it hard to really get into the music but that was probably for the best as the only thing worse were the seats. Absolutely the worst seats with the most limited legroom I have ever experienced at a concert. I'm 5' 11" and 164 lbs and could not sit with my knees in front of me. Anyway SY but on a great show ending with 2 encores that ripped the place apart. Mixing old along with new from the most recent album the only thing missing was another hour or two so you could have more from their vast catalog. All in all the band was great and the theater sucked.

The entire set consisted of pre-DGC material (nothing off their 90's catalog) and tracks from new record, The Eternal. I can't say that this show would be powerful enough to convert the uninitiated, but for longtime Sonic Youth fans or bright eyed youngsters who have recently discovered and fallen in love with Daydream Nation and Sister, it was a fine evening. I don't quite know quite how I felt about Thurston sitting on a bar stool and strumming an acoustic guitar for "Massage the History," but that song was one of the highlight performances of tracks off the new record, even if i found myself fishing for my lighter in jest. I overheard a couple cropped-haired, polo-shirted, besandled, beer-swillers lamenting that they didn't play Sugar Kane or Bull in the Heather - tough titty. When they played Shadow of a Doubt, I welled up a little.

Ahhh, they wielded their guitars with might and beauty, like a finely tuned orchestra shooting outta orbit. Me and my companion swooned & shivered with delight like the rest of that sold out crowd. 28 years later they are still awesome to behold. I just wished they played "Sunday". It would of been a perfect ending to a perfect place!

I saw their concert Sunday night (Aug 2) and I was thrilled that they essentially performed all of their latest album, which in my opinion is one of their best to date. The last time I was saw them was in 1991 at the Paladium in Hollywood. They were great then, but I think they have really improved over time. Not too many bands with their longevity can go on tour and focus primarily on their new stuff.

I'm a long-time fan of SY, have seen them many times, shows have always been good. Last night's show at the Fox Theater Oakland was a little disappointing, for several reasons. Sound mix was bad, at least from where I was on the floor level. Too loud, vocals were buried, nuances were lost, just too noisy (and yes, I know SY is *supposed to be noisy*). The floor level (standing) was bad -- too crowded, couldn't see anything. I'm 5'-10", and the 6 foot-plus crowd (you never really notice them until they're blocking your view) in front of me and my date made it difficult to see anything more than glimpses of SY. There are some barstools on the upper floor levels, but if you sit in them, you aren't seeing anything at all.... My advice -- get the seats in the balcony -- maybe you can see (and hear) better up there, and also, you won't be harrassed by the ushers (many of whom I found to be rude) who were constantly trying to herd the crowd as if they were cattle. Ultimately, it's a nice venue, having just been remodeled, and most of the staff was very courteous. By the way, there are several bars, with quick service, and the drink prices were very reasonable -- much less than at many other local concert venues. The band was good, but was at least part of the problem. Why, after 20+ years, did they decide to hire some unknown to take over on bass guitar? (Actually, he *and* Kim played bass on at least one song). Like the old joke goes, "What's better than 2 guitar players"? Answer: ONE guitar player. Point is, now Kim is on guitar (mostly), which means there are now THREE guitar players. Again, what's better than 3 guitar players? It's just too much. Overkill. Too much sound. Of course, I think the mix was bad, so maybe that was most of the problem. Anyway, I think they should just have Kim sing; her vocals are *way* better when she's not playing an insrtrument, and she can concentrate on singing. IMO. Lastly, I'm not exactly wild about the new album. Sonik Nurse and Rather Ripped (the 2 previous albums) are *much* better. They did play a variety of songs from their catalog, and that was good (although sound mix was bad) but they did play songs from the new album, and they were pretty dull. To be fair, most of the crowd seemed to love it all. Here's hoping the next time I see SY the show will be better. I saw Judas Priest last Friday night, and it was stupendous. Go figure.

Both the show and experience through ticket master were perfect. The band was on point and sounds incredible live. Ticket master was quick and communicative regarding my delivery.

Great show - they definitely still have it and keep you going all night. After all these years SY still knows how to rock!

Is there any way you can make floor admission more enjoyable for short people (meaning shorter than 6 feet tall). I am 5'3 and all of my life I feel that I have had a disadvantage at concerts and venues like this because I am usually get surrounded by tall people. This results in me watching a performance of shoulders instead of, in this instance, the members of sonic youth on stage. I know it would be better if I were to purchase seat tickets but I can't always afford them.

Sonic Youth put on, as usual, an excellent show, but one that left me wanting. Maybe it was that songs from "The Eternal" (which is a fine album) didn't translate well on stage. Kim also sounded like she was having an off night, maybe sick or something. But SY turned it on for both encores and left no doubt they're one of the best rock bands ever, especially with a punishing 'Cross the Breeze as the closer.

terrible sound. the worst. felt disconnected from sonics - the stage is far back, pushed into a nook that swallows all the sound. this is NOT the case at their usual venues: warfield or fillmore. what a shame. so bummed.