Quitzow at The Waiting Room, Aug. 12, 2010.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Want proof of the amazing power of Lazy-i and The Reader? Check this out: If you didn’t count members of the other bands and the staff at The Waiting Room last night, there was a grand total of two people there at 9 p.m. to see the Young Love Records showcase. So suck on that OWH!

Who knows what happened. Maybe it was the thousand-degree heat or the three NFL football games or the English Beat at Slowdown (though I was told that was slow, too). Maybe it was the previous night’s show that drew just under 100 people. Whatever it was, the club was sadly empty when Setting Sun took the stage. But like the true pro that he is, frontman Gary Levitt performed his full set with the same panache as if it was a packed room. So did Quitzow, who saw the crowd triple in size to about six during her funky set of electronic dance pop that lured one couple to the dance floor to shake their asses. The crowd eventually ballooned to at least 30 when Landing on the Moon started at around a quarter to midnight, playing their usual solid set of indie rock ballads.

Poorly attended shows have forever been a rite of passage for indie bands, and last night’s was no exception. Quitzow and Setting Sun now have a story they can pass along after their inevitable rise to rock star status — the night they played in Omaha to two people, and still managed to rock the house.

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Thursday night and last night were my “weekend shows.” There’s nothing on my radar for tonight or Saturday night. Phoenix is playing at Stir tonight, but I just saw them in September last year. With no new album and no chance of hearing new material, why bother seeing the exact same show again, especially at $35 per ticket? Opening is unknown band Toro Y Moi. Show starts at 8. Snoozer bluesman William Elliott Whitmore is playing at The Waiting Room tonight with Matt Cox and Muscle Worship. $10, 9 p.m.

And that, as they say, is that. Look for me at The Brothers or some other fine drinking establishment…

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2010 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.