What can I say about Deerhoof that I haven't said before? Well, Sunday was my third Deerhoof show and the first one where I really knew what to expect. The first time blindsided me with their awesomeness, the second was the first where I knew the songs well (and appreciated how much they messed with them live), and the latest was the first time I walked in able to focus on more than just the drums. Greg Saunier's drumming is insane, utterly captivating to the point where he's mostly what I remember from the first two shows. He's worth the attention, but this time I made sure to notice guitarists John and Chris. (Satomi is impossible to miss.)

It helped that the songs were different this time around - much extended, and not as explosively spastic. I'm guessing a good chunk of them were new, and if so I'm intrigued by the direction they're going on. The sharp and precise interplay of the guitars drove the songs just as much as the drums, if not more so. There were moments that were positively jazzy (in a fairly f'ed up way). Saunier's fills and playing still owned though. Watching him never lose the beat while doing practically everything possible to screw with it, on a stripped down kit no less, never gets old; the man is a virtuoso. Satomi's antics worked well too, they felt more relaxed than at the other shows. She's the number 1 reason some people don't like Deerhoof, but she was great on Sunday.

I would've loved some more old songs though. The new stuff is relatively sedate by comparison, and my favorite moments were when they rocked out - especially "Giga Dance" and "Dummy Discards A Heart," a second encore to celebrate the end of their tour. I was really psyched to hear it. "Milk Man" (MP3) was also great, as it always is. Overall, I'll admit this was the least impressive of the Deerhoof shows I've seen - probably a result of high expectations. It still was very good, and I'll still be there next time, and I managed to convert a friend in the process. Seeing them live always does the trick.

There are a few more pictures after the jump, and then a whole bunch more at Flickr.