The Faint displays the best of Omaha at the Waiting Room

The Faint proved that it's not only Omaha's best live band, but Omaha's best band, at a packed Friday night show May 24 at the Waiting Room.

In the eyes of some, The Faint may no longer be an Omaha band, with two of its members now living elsewhere. But the Faint still records in the city, so it could still be considered the band's home base.

Closeness, Faint frontman Todd Fink's group with his wife, Orenda Fink, was the first band to warm up the audience, playing several songs written ahead of the tour. The new tracks included one inspired by the California desert where the Finks now live. The band has a big, dynamic sound, especially for one made up only of two singers, a guitar, bass, and synths.

Closeness. All photos by Christopher Windle.

The crowd, growing in number by the moment as the time drew near for The Faint to take the stage, also seemed to appreciate the melancholy, '80s inspired sound of the second opening band, Choir Boy.

The Waiting Room seemed at or close to capacity as the headliners stormed onstage, opening with "Quench the Flame" off new album "Egowerk." It's quite an experience to watch the band from near front-row center. I was surrounded by fans whose arms flailed along with Fink's, and heads that banged just like guitarist Dapose's and keyboardist Graham Ulicny's.

The Faint followed with "The Geeks Were Right" and "Desperate Guys," displaying the best of a band with seven studio albums. There was little room for a breather through the first several songs; I decided to retreat away from the stage for the rest of the show.

The band relied heavily on its back catalog, playing only four songs from "Egowerk." But "Chameleon Nights" and "Child Asleep," an intense way to start the show's encore, were definite highlights. The band has been playing the other "new" song, "Young & Realistic," for about three years.

But when a band has as impressive a catalog of songs as The Faint, it's hard the skip the career high points: the majestic "The Conductor," "Worked Up So Sexual," and "Glass Danse," which closed the show.

Though Omaha may not exactly be The Faint's hometown anymore, the "ex-hometown" crowd certainly embraced the band as its own, sing-shouting along to songs like "Paranoiattack" and "Agenda Suicide."

And I wouldn't be surprised if many in the audience came back for The Faint's encore performance the following night.

Reflecting on Duran Duran’s ‘A View to a Kill’

With the Bond film “A View to a Kill” opening 34 years ago, it’s a good time to look back at Duran Duran's contribution to the musical side of the franchise. To this day, Duran’s "A View to a Kill" remains the only Bond theme song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The combination of James Bond and Duran during the peak of the British band's commercial success may be why that chart record still stands.

The five original members of Duran Duran joined with legendary Bond composer John Barry to write "AVTAK," which in addition to its chart success, also scored a Golden Globe nomination.

The song melded together the best of the Fab Five: sharp keyboard and guitar riffs and a driving rhythm section, topped by Simon Le Bon's incomparable vocals. It was the last time Taylor/Taylor/Taylor/Rhodes/Le Bon would all record together until reuniting 16 years later.

The video for "AVTAK" also was a hit, featuring footage of the Durans and film stars Roger Moore and Grace Jones at the Eiffel Tower.

Duran still plays "AVTAK" live and even added a Mark Ronson-arranged orchestral intro in tribute to the late Barry, who Le Bon once referred to as "virtually a sixth member of the group."

The song lives on as a musical highlight of the Bond film franchise.

The Psychedelic Furs at the Truman

The Psychedelic Furs' touring machine roared into Kansas City for a fun-filled Friday night show at the Truman on May 10.

The Furs have been touring pretty much nonstop over the past several years. Since 2013, we have seen them twice in Nebraska, another time in Kansas City, once in Denver, and once in Iowa. That's not a bad record for tour stops in and near the Midwest.

At the most recent Kansas City date, the band was supported by Royston Langdon of Spacehog fame. (Soon the Furs will be heading back out on the road with James.) Alone onstage, Langdon played an introspective acoustic set featuring songs like his band's big hit, "In the Meantime,” and David Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes."

Good, Williams, Paul Garisto, and Tim Butler. At top, the brothers Butler.
Photos by Christopher Windle.

In contrast, it was clear that the Furs were there to show the crowd a good time. Singer Richard Butler and his band, somewhat resembling a group of merry pirates with their shaggy hair, bounded onstage to "Heartbeat" and kept the energy high from there on.

The Furs played to a crowd that hadn't seen the band in their city for almost three years. The talents of guitarist Rich Good on tracks like "Mr. Jones" and saxophonist Mars Williams, adding a flourish of horns to songs including "Like a Stranger," impressed the audience. There were sing-alongs to "Love My Way," "Pretty in Pink," and the band's biggest-charting hit, "Heartbreak Beat," which closed the show.

Though the band got a bit political with the ever-precient "President Gas," the show was mainly a time to party. Like the best first wave '80s artists, the Furs offer music that fans can escape to. And the world could use an escape right now.

So the Furs delivered, with a shimmering piece of "Heaven," the '80s movie anthem "Pretty in Pink," and the driving post-punk of "India."

The Furs are one of the most consistent touring acts, with an impressive back catalog to draw from for its setlists. The only room for improvement would be the addition of new music to the show. Here's hoping a long-awaited next album is finally on the way.