Tame Impala – live at Lollapalooza, Brazil – March 12, 2016 – Band soundboard –
Having become a constant fan of Tame Impala since hearing rough demos on MySpace in 2007, the band – the brainchild of Kevin Parker, continues on an amazing journey and has achieved a huge worldwide appeal. And they continue growing musically and they continue taking chances and they continue exploring new paths. Everything you want a band to be about. Everything that gives further evidence new music (not mainstream) has always been a trailblazer and that new music, if you take the time to seek and check it out, is better than ever. Sadly, I have a number of friends (of a certain age) who have given up listening to anything new – convinced the playing field is loaded with garbage. That notion of being frozen saddens me – because music is ever-expanding and exploring – it’s just expanding and exploring in places you don’t have easy access to. Your radio (in the U.S.) is no longer your friend – you need your own compass and a built-in curiosity to find things these days.
Obviously, a lot of inspiration is drawn from 60s Psychedelia and Prog – you can’t help but think of early Caravan and Kevin Ayers-era Soft Machine while listening to them – Kevin Parker’s voice is strongly reminiscent of John Lennon. But to say these are elements which inspire doesn’t mean Tame Impala is a 60s knock-off. Parker has crafted a unique and completely new and wonderful experience – there are just shades and elements and chord progressions that bear a faint echo. But Tame Impala has always been striving and expanding and reaching out. And that is why I have become a fan of theirs since the beginning and have no intention of quitting.
Frankly, I can’t hear too much of Tame Impala – and even at over an hour, this concert feels short. But that’s just me and I will freely admit there are days when Tame Impala is preferred listening most hours of a given day.
So this concert kicks us into what’s happening with the band in 2016. The Lollapalooza Festival, which jumps around to a lot of different and unique locales, is a hugely attended festival – and from the sounds of this set, the show was sold out.
Play very loud and find an excuse to celebrate. Good times.
