This time out in our search for live show greatness, we find a pair of bands with two of the best albums of year, to this point, in The Airborne Toxic Event and Cameron McGill And What Army. One falls a little short of expectations, while the other proves to be a must-see band you need to seek out immediately. Speaking of stellar albums released this year, we also catch Atlanta's Manchester Orchestra just before the release of Simple Math , and find time for, Swedish indie sensations, Peter Bjorn And John.
As you will learn, they can no longer be called indie 'pop'. Perhaps he was trying to show just how damn good a performer he is, because the quaint "Loose Tooth", with only McGill and guitarist Daniel McMahon, was a bone-chilling winner that instantly captured the room's attention.
The harmonies between McGill and McMahon were fantastic through the entire night, adding a new dimension to the already killer folk-rock of the album versions. McGill and the rest of the band kicked the set into high gear on the second song with energetic rocker "Houdini", the opening track from the band's masterful Is A Beast.
The hometown gig was a record-release show for the newly released album, brining strings and horns to the mix to flush songs like "Dublin Fight Song". McGill proved willing to play a bit with the songs, giving "Dead Rose" a more restrained vocal delivery and deeper bass groove. McGill stayed on keys for the bluesy gem "Counterfeit", complete with saxophone and three-piece string section flushing out his amazing vocals as he banged away at the keyboard. At one point, McGill asked the crowd, "Can you hear alright?
From the captivating unnamed new song, from an upcoming Daytrotter session, to the rich electric and acoustic blend of "Sad Ambassador", McGill's character-filled vocals and wonderful songwriting reigned supreme. Breathtaking orchestral blues ballad "Michelangelo's Blue Period", ripe with a great string arrangement and killer guitar melody, was an easy highlight from the nearly hour-and-a-half set. The band kept the blues vibe going, but cranked up the rock on moody "My Demons Are Organized".
McGill and band are a must-see treasure that is still playing much smaller rooms than they should. Obviously eager to hit the stage, starting fifteen minutes before the posted start of their set, it felt a little odd that they did not dive deeper into the new album than the three tracks they played. Regardless, the band made the most of their nearly two hour set, packing a solid blend of their gritty rock and fragile ballads.
Front man, Andy Hull and crew wasted no time reassuring fans that might have been leery of the orchestral beauty of the new album's lead single, tearing into the grinding metal kissed riffs of "Virgin".
The grubby, explosive rocker sent a wave of energy into the excited crowd before jumping into fan favorite "Shake It Out". Perhaps energized by the impending release of new material, the band has never sounded better. The towering drums and thick, powerful riffs pushed Hull's passionately shouted vocals, sending the crowd wild. The stomping drive of "Pride", fuelled by crunching metal riffs and a heavy, plodding beat, worked to bring the boiling intensity in the room back down to a simmer, at least before the band's rich guitar-driven sound rolled the moody rocker into a mini jam session.
Mellow sing-along " Dollars" served as the calm before the storm before "Wolves At Night" roared off the stage with guitars ablaze and Hull's volcanic vocals. The song served as one of many points where it felt like the older material has evolved with the band into a towering, full-bodied rock experience.
The band played the second of three new songs with "April Fool", complete with nimble, gnarly guitar solo in the middle as the jagged southern-dipped rocker won over the crowd. Things were going splendidly until the quaint beauty of "Sleeper ", when an overenthusiastic fan decided to shout questions to Hull ahead of the lyrics, like, "Where was she? The fiery rocker served as a great sonic retort to the fan, but Hull punctuated the point afterward explaining, "That song wasn't finished because you were yelling".
After the crowd shot the fan in the balcony some boos, Hull teased, "Kill him", before explaining to the fan, "This is a setlist up here. The band's enthusiasm and musicianship paired well on cynical rocker "In My Teeth", with, drummer, Tim Very slamming away at his kit. Hull took a shot at crowd banter, offering his hopes that the Bulls beat his hometown Hawks, but, perhaps forgetting about Chicago's hockey team, was a little confused when he got booed for saying the Hawks suck.
The cool spin on the song really left you wanting to see Hull in a solo acoustic set, if just once. Powder keg power-ballad "Everything To Nothing" hit the room hard, with a chest thumping sound you could feel hit your chest all the way at the back of the room. Orchestral rocker "Simple Math" left the strings out of the mix, with the lush tune getting a bit more chugging guitar pushing it along as the moody guitar thrashing in the backdrop gets more noticeable for an awe-inspiring live take.
The band held the crowd's rapt attention through the whole show, including the expansive epic "The River" and the tender, slowly strummed "Turn Out The Lights". The encore opened with a sped-up take on "I've Got Friends", as if the meter was running on their tour bus outside.
The punk slant turned it into a thrashing jam near the end, before closing with the thick, mellow bliss of "Where Have You Been? Despite not playing much of their fantastic third album, Manchester Orchestra proved to be at the top of their game and solidified their status as one of indie rock's must-see live bands.
After their energetic, sturdy set for the early show, it may be hard to associate the word 'pop' with the trio ever again. The girls chucked, and anyone having heard the band on album was left wondering how hard you could really 'rock out' to Peter Bjorn And John's tattered sound.
The guys knew what they were talking about. AL - Alabama. AR - Arkansas. AZ - Arizona. AZ - Phoenix. CA - Bay Area. CA - Fresno. CA - Los Angeles. CA - Sacramento. CA - San Diego. CA - San Francisco. CA - San Jose. CO - Denver. CT - Hartford. DC - Washington. DE - Delaware. FL - Jacksonville. FL - Miami. FL - Orlando. FL - South Florida. FL - Tallahassee and Gainesville.
FL - Tampa Bay. GA - Atlanta. HI - Hawaii. IA - Iowa. ID - Idaho. IL - Central Illinois. IL - Chicago. IN - Indianapolis. KY - Kentucky. LA - Central Louisiana. LA - New Orleans. MA - Boston. MD - Baltimore. ME - Maine. MI - Central Michigan. MI - Detroit. MN - Minneapolis. MN - Minnesota. MO - Columbia. MO - Kansas City. MO - St. MS - Mississippi. MT - Montana. NC - Charlotte.
ND - North Dakota. NE - Nebraska. NH - New Hampshire. NJ - Atlantic City. NJ - Central New Jersey. NM - New Mexico. NV - Las Vegas. NV - Reno. NY - Albany. NY - Buffalo. NY - New York City. NY - Rochester and Syracuse. OH - Cincinnati. OH - Cleveland.
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