New York October 1,2005

ACROSS THE NARROWS: STATEN ISLAND
Tunes with a captivating view
 newsday

BY MARTIN JOHNSON
Martin Johnson is a freelance writer.

October 3, 2005

When the lineups were announced for the two-day, two-borough, two-baseball-stadium concerts "Across the Narrows," it was fairly clear that Saturday's show at Richmond County Bank Ballpark would be the lightest of the four shows. That says more about the heavyweights on the other programs than it denigrates the fine array of performers who took the stage Saturday in Staten Island.

The ballpark isn't regularly used for concerts; it's home field for the Yankees class-A minor-league farm team. But the first thing Saturday's show illustrated was the venue's attractiveness for music. With a stage positioned at about second base, the stadium provided a fantastic vista, the bridges over the East River to the left and the Manhattan skyline to the right. In between those majestic sites, seven bands captivated a sparse but enthusiastic crowd.

Various fusions dominated the early performances. Lake Trout blends electronic elements and jam-band playing into a sound reminiscent of recent Radiohead.

The Ordinary Boys mix a long history of Britrock influences. Teagan and Sara are adding hooks and strong melodies to their punky folk. British Sea Power cut back on its usual theatrics, which highlighted the emotional density of its songs. Interpol, whose downtown Manhattan roots and edgy sound have made them critics' darlings, turned in a tight, taut set drawn from its two discs.

Evening bands, the New York Dolls and the Killers, provided an interesting study in contrasts. The Dolls, one of the seminal New York bands of the '70s, disbanded in 1977 but reunited last year. They were punk before the term came into usage, but their riffs retain the elasticity of pre-funk R&B.

A major change since their first incarnation was in the costumes: the big wigs and high heels of 30 years ago have been replaced with jeans and sneakers. They opened with a roaring version of their classic "Looking for a Kiss," and their 75-minute set stuck smartly to older material, which all sounded surprisingly fresh. The only new song, "We Are All in Love," was the show's weakest moment.

The Killers formed in Las Vegas in 2002 and two years later, stumbled onto fame when MTV took a liking to "Somebody Told Me," from their debut recording, "Hot Fuss." The band is still finding a way to fill the big shoes it's been given.

The Killers' hour-long set lurched in fits and starts. Their hit was a high point as was the show opener, "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine," but the energy often sagged - particularly on tunes where the influence of another band was too apparent. For instance, "Smile Like You Mean It" is too much of a New Order homage. "Glamorous Indie Rock and Roll" leads with the sort of keening riffs that have made Coldplay rich, but Killers' front man Brandon Flowers couldn't bring off the vulnerability to match the sound. After 45 minutes, the band left abruptly. It returned five minutes later for a terse cover of David Bowie's "Moonage Daydream" and closed with a rousing "All These Things That I've Done."

ACROSS THE NARROWS FESTIVAL (Staten Island, Day One). With The Killers, the New York Dolls, Interpol, British Sea Power, Teagan and Sara, the Ordinary Boys, Lake Trout. At Richmond County Bank Ballpark on Saturday.