Review: Keane

In the eight years since Keane’s last trip to Kansas City, the four-piece from East Sussex, England, hasn’t strayed much from its songwriting formula: tight 3- to 4-minute pop ballads about love and growing up.

It’s a blueprint that has helped the band sell more than 10 million albums worldwide and land songs on shows like “Melrose Place” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” 

Keane employs no guitars, using only keyboards, bass and drums to produce a sonic background for frontman Tom Chaplin to sing over. The band’s piano-rock sound is similar to that of Coldplay, the multi-platinum British band that once offered membership to Keane’s keyboardist, Tim Rice-Oxley.

The stage for Sunday night’s show at the Midland was sparse, just a backdrop and a neon sign with the title of the band’s latest album, “Strangeland,” which would light up when one of its songs was played. 

The Midland’s balcony was roped off for this show, but the floor was filled with what seemed like a mix of young professionals, parents and teenagers — many of whom looked just as interested in watching the concert as using their phones.

Keane is a technically proficient band. Chaplin is an excellent vocalist who hits each falsetto note with precision. But the band would do itself some good to not let its proficiency take over live performances. The songs are crafted for radio play and sound as well-groomed and tidy as each member’s appearance, which translated to a performance that could never quite reach those striking and transcendent moments that make a concert memorable.

This was apparent during s “Everybody’s Changing” and the excellent “Sovereign Light Café,” tracks that begged for the band to let loose and give each song an extra, dynamic dimension.

That’s not to say they didn’t come close at times. About midway through the band’s 21-song set, its newest member, Jesse Quin, swapped his bass for an electric guitar for “Spiralling,” an energetic New-Wave tune that would feel at home with the likes of New Order.

Keane would have benefited from more moments like that — surprises that strayed from the predictable and sometimes cliché earnestness found in its pop ballads. Instead, the 90-minute slate of songs played it safe and included the singles “Is It Any Wonder?” and “Somewhere Only We Know.” 

Chaplin complimented Kansas City throughout the night, recounting the band’s two-day stay that involved restaurants on 39th Street and a local show in Westport the previous night. These comments were uncontrived, spontaneous and sincere — traits that would do the band well if extended to its musical performance.

Setlist: You Are Young; Bend and Break; On the Road; Strangers; Nothing in My Way; Silenced By the Night; Everybody’s Changing; She Has No Time; Neon River; Spiralling; A Bad Dream; Hamburg Song; My Shadow; Disconnected; Is it Any Wonder?; This is the Last Time; Somewhere Only We Know; Bedshaped; Sea Fog; Sovereign Light Café; Crystal Ball.  

| Noah Homola, Special to The Star

Comments

[Kurt]

I remember Keane were at an VH1 Awards show and they did a tribute to Genesis. I think that there were three other acts such as, Heart or ZZ Top, Def Leppard and Ozzy. Perhaps I'm thinking of two separate VH1 Awards shows and there were four on the show.

[Kurt]

Sorry to post this on this thread but, no place to post this news.

I received an email newsletter from Rush this morning and they're adding shows in North America in 2013. There's 9 shows added from April 23rd to May 11th and then, doing 10 shows in Europe in May/June. It's said that Rush will be in Kansas City this summer and don't know the venue yet.

[Rupert]

THANKS KURT!!! Nice News Flash

btw- aint this what no traffic threads are for?

[Bad as it gets]

So at some point can we have a hurling session how SPIKE has taken all the cash he pulls out of the dump and is opening a new JOCO location versus add any money to the dump location?

"Grinders Johnson County", as bad of an idea as it sounds like.

[MBA College]

I think that there were three other functions such as, Center or ZZ Top, Def Leppard and Ozzy.

[Lord Longerfellow]

""three other functions" ?
come on MBA COLLEGE!!! "functions!!??"
youre not a spam bot, are you?, no not at all.

Say my dear sir, are you attending the Ozzy function at the SC, no, then nor will I. Good day sir, tut tut it looks like rain.

[Kurt]

Some trivia for today. Rush is being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on April 18th at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins are doing the honors for Rush.

Eddie Van Halen is 58 today. VH still had a top 10 tour in 2012, even though they canceled a lot of the tour. It must be the high ticket prices that boosted their tour.