There’s something interesting about a homecoming show.  It’s more loose, more appreciative of the audience, more responsive as a whole.  Ra Ra Riot, coming back to their city of conception – Syracuse, NY – ripped through a 15-song set at Funk N Waffles this past Friday before a sold out crowd of about 150.  (Granted, I am awful at crowd estimation, but the venue isn’t large by any means.)

Situated around the campus of Syracuse University, Funk N Waffles, as the name would suggest, is a waffle bar that moonlights as a concert venue.  The entire place smelled of coffee and waffles, and it doesn’t serve alcohol, so the show retained a coffeehouse vibe throughout.  The place soundtracks its wares with records, and there’s a large mural on the wall behind the stage of a record player with a waffle on it.  There are framed LPs displayed on walls, and a large painting of Stevie Wonder on another wall.  It’s a great spot, and it was nice to see an accomplished band play such an intimate venue.

After having a couple of beers at the bar next door to the venue while waiting for the show to start, Team Goldie came opened the show.  The only thing I knew about Team Goldie (who, as it turns out, is just one guy) was that he had done a remix of Ra Ra Riot’s “Each Year” that I disliked immensely.  His original music wasn’t much better, although the crowd seemed to enjoy it.  If you like screamo rap over manufactured rock, then you’ll like Team Goldie.  I don’t like either of those things, so I didn’t.

Ra Ra Riot, however, was great.  They were clearly glad to be playing back where they started, even if the stage could barely hold all six of them.  The band kept the energy high throughout the show, only slowing down when they played “Can You Tell.”  Wes Miles’ voice was excellent; he can soar when he needs to, make you listen when he wants to – and the rest of the band reinforces his stylings with their effortless chamber pop.

Clearly, the sextet are comfortable with their first album; as their first show since the release of their second LP – The Orchard – the band played eight of the ten songs on their first LP, and six of the ten on their second.  (And the closer was from their debut EP.)  And while the songs from their newest LP were good, the band is able to work better in the frame of their older material, having played it for two years straight.  Their newer songs were much more “by the book,” never really straying from how it sounds on the LP.

That shouldn’t be taken as a complaint, however.  Ra Ra Riot is entertaining as hell to watch; they play so well together, and I’d recommend catching them live if they come around where you are.  It’s worth it.  (For more pictures and another write-up of the show, head over to WERW Radio. I snagged this one from there, since I was in the back of the venue and my Blackberry sucks for pictures.)

Ra Ra Riot – Funk N Waffles – Syracuse, NY – August 27th, 2010

St. Peter’s Day Festival
Boy
Each Year
Oh, La
Shadowcasting
Kansai
Can You Tell
Foolish
Too Too Too Fast
Ghosts Under Rocks
Too Dramatic:

Dying Is Fine
Encore:
Do You Remember
Run My Mouth
Everest