Bowery Presents' webcast of Broken Social Scene's show at Terminal 5 on Tuesday night gave anyone with an Internet connection a front row seat to the veteran Canadian indie rock collective. Cameras soared through the air capturing Kevin Drew and co. at the top of their game as they plowed through an energetic set of old and new songs alike for well over two hours. Covering everything from "Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl" to "Texico Bitches," BSS embraced their work and evolution as a group over the past decade. If you closed your eyes, you could even imagine Feist up on stage with them.
Seeing them on stage, it's surprising how jammy a group they can be. Sax solos abounded and the accompanying brass filled out the sound with a rich layer of prog that deftly avoided spilling into cool jazz. Some of the best moments of the show were the improvised sections towards the end of the songs. The guitars, keyboards and horns were thankfully all mixed well, allowing the different sounds to blend seamlessly. The intensity peaked often, prompting Drew to comment, "all of our songs sound like endings to shows." This was particularly true as the show crept past the 90 minute mark when most bands call it quits. He added at another moment, "You're here for us, but we're also here for you," a sentiment the resonated throughout the cavernous venue and into the cold night.
Tonight, the Village Pourhouse unveils a new line of burgers at their East Village location. This tasty menu includes mouthwatering cheddar burgers and magic 'shroom burgers along with a hearty lamb burger that has a rich, gamey flavor not for the faint of heart. I can't vouch for the other two, but only because I was too full to try them. My friend did like the big blue burger, though, which is topped with bacon, lettuce, onion confit, and of course, a generous amount of blue cheese.
The special event this evening begins at seven and includes what they're calling a slider-sized portion of each of the five burgers (they're actually much thicker than traditional sliders) and unlimited Bud Lite for $30. The Bud Lite part is admittedly a little lame, but you can't argue too much with unlimited beer. To heighten the experience, break up the ImBev wateriness with the rich Arcadia Coco Loco or the subtly sublime Six Point Sweet Action.