Chester French, Flobots and Matisyahu at the Warfield on Sunday, November 3rd

Caitlin and I caught a nice show last Sunday at the Warfield. We were a little delayed by a terribly slow KFC experience so we got in just as Chester French was finishing up.

I still don’t know what to think of Chester French. They recently put out an EP, but it was only two songs and a few remixes of material that had been on Myspace for a long time. Don’t get me wrong, I like those two songs and the EL-P remix. I’m just not sure if they’re going to crank out some really special material just yet. It’s a shame that we only caught their last couple of songs.

Anyhow, we settled into our seats in the midst of a sleepy Sunday night, only to be roused with some forward thinking political sentiments, statements and songs by the Flobots. Hailing from Denver, Colorado, this group has a unique style and message. I thought it was great that they made a point of addressing the recent passing of Proposition 8 in California, and let everyone know that the protestors in California had inspired gay rights activists in Denver. These guys are fun, but their sound is a little redundant and I found their lyrics hard to make out at the show. The band was more talented than I expected but their volume overpowered the two MC’s at times.

Matisyahu came out last to headline the night. It was instantly clear that he’s a musician with great command of his talent. He played a lot of his newer material and lesser known songs, but it was still a complete set. He also put on quite a beat-boxing exhibition.

Since Matisyahu doesn’t play shows on Saturday nights, if I ever catch him again, I hope it’s on a Friday. It’s just hard to really get pumped for a Sunday night show after a long weekend. Here are a few featured tracks from the show:

Matisyahu - Smash Lies
Flobots - Stand Up
Chester French - EL-P Remix

-Ed