Had a great show come through last week with Ra Ra Riot with Maps & Atlases opening hitting up the Granada. Ra Ra Riot I have seen now 4 times in the past year and a half and they seem to have really exploded in popularity over that time with this being the biggest headlining venue I have seen them at so far. Based on this latest performance they certainly seem to be getting more seasoned and polished as they have grown as a band from the first time I saw them with just an EP until now with much higher visibility.

I unfortunately missed Princeton, who we had caught before Loney Dear at SXSW, so I can’t really comment on their set. I remember them being pretty good but very young at SXSW, so hopefully they were good this time as well.

I managed to arrive right before Maps & Atlases hit the stage fortunately as I was eager to see them again. They didn’t disappoint once again, although the new songs, mostly from You, Me & The Mountain are not quite as schizo-eclectic as the songs from Trees, Swallows, Houses so the insanity was not quite on full display, but it was on enough of a display. They are an acquired taste because of the chaotic structure of some of their songs but I still supremely enjoy it, and even some of the songs off of You, Me & The Mountain took on a more epic feel than I would have thought from the record. If you want to see some crazy guitar finger/fretboard work and some insane drumming, these guys are still throwing it down. Highly recommended.

Ra Ra Riot came out to their headlining set to a lot of cheers and a pretty full house. Clearly their fan base has expanded 100-fold since the last few times I saw them, and the band has become a lot more polished and seasoned in the way they approach the songs. Some of the raw energy is gone from when I have seen them before, but they have a very strong foundation to their show moreso now and really are firing on all cylinders in their performance of the material. They certainly seemed primed to make a run at the big time now as they really nailed every song as it was on the album. Maybe a little bit mechanical but they hit the notes perfectly and had it going.

They also played quite a few new songs which were the highlights for me for the night. They were all really good and took on a more melodious/poppier vibe than they have had so far in most of their songs so it will be interesting to see when they have the new album how it is. The new songs were tight though (some of which they were playing on the last tour with TPC).

Once again a solid show from these guys, it was pretty similar to what I have seen before from them aside from them being a little more polished, less frenetic and throwing in some new material. These guys are definitely worth peeping out if they are hitting your town. Also, Maps & Atlases rule, see them also.

Ra Ra Riot – Dying Is Fine – From The Rhumb Line
Maps & Atlases – Artichokes- From You And Me And The Mountain

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