I lucked out and managed to snag two tickets to the Spoon "secret" show (if it was really a secret I wouldn't have gotten tix for it) on Monday night at Little Radio. Spoon was out in support of their new album. The venue is a cool little warehouse near downtown LA. It's an intimate space, and apparently they broadcast concerts live over the web. The place looked to hold about 300 people tops, standing. If I'd wanted, I could easily have been five feet from Britt Daniel and his mates on stage. In addition, there was an open bar (at least if you wanted the drink of the day, Dewars and Ginger Soda),.

There was just one problem. In this long, rectangular space with a giant bar jutting out in the middle, there was no air conditioning and only one opening to the outside world, the entrance. Within a few minutes of being inside, I felt like I had worn a snowsuit into a sauna. Under such conditions, the space might have been able to put up with about 100 people and still feel comfortable, but instead I sweated off about a pound during the show.

We managed to find a semi-tolerable temperature zone around us against a wall near the end of the show, when the heat had dissipated the crowd. It didn't do much to dissipate the cigarette smoke, though. If they had a way to open up the back then at least the air could move over us from one end of the place to the other. Even Daniel commented on the oppressive heat at one point during the show. The one standing fan in the entire place was pointed on stage, but I still have to imagine that Daniel had to wring himself out after performing in a long-sleeve black shirt and pants all night.

Spoon was great. Their new album Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is excellent. And Little Radio, if they ever install some A/C, would be the perfect intimate venue at which to see your favorite bands perform.

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