Cold War Kids "Rubidoux" (22.9 MB) from Robbers & Cowards Willow Island Madison, WI September 8, 2007

Compared with the Jack Daniels show we saw in March, the pitch put on by Southern Comfort was almost non-existent. There were logos everywhere, of course, and there were no other liquors available, but there was also no free swag for those of us who didn't get into the VIP section. There was a really bad MC, but he didn't get up there to pimp the brand, so much as to fail at ingratiating himself to the local crowd. Some of bands made pretty heavy-handed thanks to the company, but nothing that pushed the product in particular. There's another one of these shows already scheduled for next year, and if they can get someone of the caliber of the Flaming Lips to headline, it should be pretty great again.

The one band who seemed a little irked by the corporate setting was Cold War Kids, but even that only showed in a couple of off-hand comments. Their set was as driven as the set we saw at the Annex last year, and their reputation as a terrific live band was certainly validated. I wasn't sure if they had any new material yet, but they gave the old stuff all they had and seemed to win over the bulk of the crowd.