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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Killer swag


Caught The Killers at the Palacio de los Deportes last Sunday, general admission, along with about 10,000 screaming Mexican fans. How good are The Killers live? Good enough that they can play "Somebody Told Me," their ridiculously catchy debut hit, only two songs into their 90-minute set and not have to worry about any post-hit letdown. I'm not the biggest Killers fan in the world and their albums are kind of uneven, but live? Wow. They're one of those bands that know how to play a stadium and don't shy away from the Rock Anthem (which, combined with pyrotechnics, is a thing of beauty to behold). If they ever manage to harness their talent for an entire album, they'll be unstoppable, live and on tape.

Almost as good was the variety of bootleg swag available outside the venue. I'm talking countless different T-shirt designs, glassware, posters, stickers, lighters: basically, if it was possible to stick a "Killers" logo on something, you could probably find it in one of the many stalls lining the route from the metro station to the stadium. Also saw some cops standing idly by, for what it's worth.

I've been to a few shows in the two months since I arrived in Mexico City, and the big shows usually have the same things for sale, only with a different logo. That said, every show so far has had some unique merchandise. There was nothing at The Killers show to match the pure awesomeness of the Depeche Mode T-Shirt featuring the band members, drawn Simpsons-style, trapped along with Homer Simpson in individual test-tube thingies while Kang and Kodos look on, slobbering. I regret few things in life; not buying that shirt is one of them.

The Killers show did, however, feature (and I don't think I'm imagining this) a Killers sleeping bag cover, which I didn't buy, and a Killers travel pillow, which I did.

Anyway, check it out: Killers bootleg swag (mug: 100 pesos, keychain: 30 pesos, pillow: 40 pesos, general admission ticket: 800 pesos. 12 pesos = C$1). If they'd had stuff like this for sale officially, I would have bought it.

(Mandatory IP question: why do people buy official concert T-shirts, especially when there are plenty of knock-offs available at a lower price? Quality? A desire to support the band? The designs are cooler? I'm guessing there's no one answer. If anyone wants to share, feel free.)

And, as an added bonus, some glassware from the Pet Shop Boys' concert here on October 1.



The paint started coming off before I got them home. Obviously, when it comes to bootleg merch, it's buyer beware.


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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Killer swag


Caught The Killers at the Palacio de los Deportes last Sunday, general admission, along with about 10,000 screaming Mexican fans. How good are The Killers live? Good enough that they can play "Somebody Told Me," their ridiculously catchy debut hit, only two songs into their 90-minute set and not have to worry about any post-hit letdown. I'm not the biggest Killers fan in the world and their albums are kind of uneven, but live? Wow. They're one of those bands that know how to play a stadium and don't shy away from the Rock Anthem (which, combined with pyrotechnics, is a thing of beauty to behold). If they ever manage to harness their talent for an entire album, they'll be unstoppable, live and on tape.

Almost as good was the variety of bootleg swag available outside the venue. I'm talking countless different T-shirt designs, glassware, posters, stickers, lighters: basically, if it was possible to stick a "Killers" logo on something, you could probably find it in one of the many stalls lining the route from the metro station to the stadium. Also saw some cops standing idly by, for what it's worth.

I've been to a few shows in the two months since I arrived in Mexico City, and the big shows usually have the same things for sale, only with a different logo. That said, every show so far has had some unique merchandise. There was nothing at The Killers show to match the pure awesomeness of the Depeche Mode T-Shirt featuring the band members, drawn Simpsons-style, trapped along with Homer Simpson in individual test-tube thingies while Kang and Kodos look on, slobbering. I regret few things in life; not buying that shirt is one of them.

The Killers show did, however, feature (and I don't think I'm imagining this) a Killers sleeping bag cover, which I didn't buy, and a Killers travel pillow, which I did.

Anyway, check it out: Killers bootleg swag (mug: 100 pesos, keychain: 30 pesos, pillow: 40 pesos, general admission ticket: 800 pesos. 12 pesos = C$1). If they'd had stuff like this for sale officially, I would have bought it.

(Mandatory IP question: why do people buy official concert T-shirts, especially when there are plenty of knock-offs available at a lower price? Quality? A desire to support the band? The designs are cooler? I'm guessing there's no one answer. If anyone wants to share, feel free.)

And, as an added bonus, some glassware from the Pet Shop Boys' concert here on October 1.



The paint started coming off before I got them home. Obviously, when it comes to bootleg merch, it's buyer beware.


No comments:

Post a Comment