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Sunday, May 25, 2008
Hobo raincoats, Colin Meloy, and Death Cab = a weekend in Bend, Oregon! Hahaha! First! I post first on the show!!
To begin with, I'd like to offer a postscript to my earlier post about Beirut. I feel that I didn't show enough love for the band, saving all my praise for Zach himself. Today, we ran into three members of Beirut at Jackpot Records in Portland and I was my typical calm and collected self (and by that I mean gasping loudly and then announcing in a loud whisper to Hanson that "Beirut's band is here!!", so uncool Marlon!). Later on I realized that I should have just gone up to them and thanked them for the awesome show they did in Vancouver because they are all amazing musicians. So, to all members of Beirut - you guys are amazing, please come back to Vancouver soon!
Now, onto the post. This weekend, Death Cab for Cutie played the amphitheatre in Bend, Oregon with Mates of State and the Decemberists opening. It was a mind-blowing show! Mates of State aren't one of my favourite bands but they are very adorable the way they make goo-goo eyes at each other while they play. They have a new record out and I think they mainly played songs from that - don't take my word for it since I'm not familiar with their catalogue. They had their kids with them so it was a family affair.
The Decemberists brought the house down, then built it back up and then brought it down again! It's been about a year since I last saw them and they had plenty of new songs mixed in with old favourites (including "Billy Liar", "O Valencia", "Culling of the Fold", "The Crane Wife 1", "The Perfect Crime 2", and "A Cautionary Tale"). Colin Meloy seemed in an especially charming mood and played with a lot of energy, as did Jenny, John, Chris, and Nate. At one point during "Culling of the Fold" Colin jumped into the crowd, took a lap around the amphitheatre and then crowd-surfed back to the stage! There was also more audience participation later on when they performed "A Cautionary Tale" and John Moen and Chris Funk came out into the crowd with drums and cymbals to re-enact the founding of Bend, Oregon. Their set was short but sweet and I would let Colin Meloy lick my face any day. That is all.
Death Cab for Cutie were the night's headliners and they transported the crowd to another dimension with their songs of adoration. It was the kick-off show of their new tour and Ben Gibbard and Co. were in fine form. They played songs off their new album "Narrow Stairs" including "I Will Possess Your Heart", "No Sunlight", "Long Division", "Cath", and "Bixby Canyon Bridge" and a good mix of older tracks from "Plans" and "Transatlanticism". It had been pouring rain (hence the hobo raincoats) for most of the afternoon and, during one of their more epic songs, the clouds broke and we saw a gorgeous sunset, it was pretty mind-blowing. I had tears in my eyes twice when they played "I Will Follow You Into the Dark". The crowd was also pretty good, once we moved back from the stage a little, and pretty much everyone sang along to every song. With the night sky full of stars they closed the show with "Crooked Teeth" and "Transatlanticism". All in all, it was a solid show from start to finish and a great way to spend a weekend - hopefully Death Cab and the Decemberists will be back for shows in Vancouver before too long.
Next up - Los Campesinos! at the Plaza.
Marlon out.
NP: (nothing)
posted by Marlon Bookcase |
11:27 PM
Friday, May 23, 2008
Do you like joy, or Beirut at the Commodore Marlon Bookcase here, long time reader, first time blogger on myindieworld.com.
Let me ask you a question - do you like joy? If you like joy, do yourself a favour and go see Zach Condon and his wonderful band.
Tonight I took in Beirut at the Commodore and it was easily the best show I've seen in a long time. They must be one of the happiest bands around (and their fans are pretty cheerful as well). This was the band's Vancouver debut and they did not disappoint. Opening the show with the glorious "Nantes" the night had no where to go but up. Highlights for me included "Postcards from Italy", "A Sunday Smile", and "Brandenburg" - they also played the title track from 2005's (2006 ?) Gulag Orkestar.
After playing for at least an hour, Beirut came back for not one, not two, but three encores!!! I think they would have played all night if they could. The band was clearly enjoying themselves and when the bottle of Jameson's made an appearance on stage I knew it was going to be a good night.
If you can, try and catch their performance at the Sasquatch festival this weekend. Apparently, the European leg of the tour has been cancelled and Beirut may or may not undergo some changes. See Beirut's website for more details, www.beirutband.com.
Next up, Death Cab for Cutie with the Decemberists and Mates of State (or Rogue Wave, it seems to change daily) this weekend in Bend, Oregon. Should be a great show!
Marlon out.
posted by Marlon Bookcase |
12:50 AM
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