The Upstate Life

Monday, October 29, 2007

TUL's Take: The New Pornographers @ 9:30 Club

First off, holy shit. When's the last time we've had one of these, right? Anyone? Bueller? If only every show could fall on a Friday/Saturday night (on another note, how lame have I seriously become?). Cheers to Andy over at Duffy's btw, who not only hails from Upstate New York like yours truly, but also carries Genesee beer (essentially the Upstate NY equivalent of Natty Boh). Sadly, he was out of stock Saturday night, but I'll be sure to stop by next time before another show at the club.

Anyway, Saturday night's set exceeded my expectations even though this was the third time I've seen the New Pornographers live. The reason, you ask? Simple: Neko Case (and to a lesser extent, Dan Bejar). Neko's voice is clearly the difference maker. It also means that I can't see TNP live again without her in the lineup. Bejar's presence on this tour was a significant improvement as well despite looking incredibly bored/drunk onstage. The gorgeous vocal harmonies between Newman, Case, and Bejar easily made this show my favorite out of all the times I've seen them perform, notably during "Myriad Harbour" and "Jackie, Dressed in Cobras." The group was virtually flawless the entire evening and all the songs performed from Challengers sounded great. The setlist was also incredibly balanced throughout the band's catalogue. One of the more humorous moments was when the group attempted to play "The New Face of Zero and One" after an audience request but stopped short midway through after Carl admittedly forgot the lyrics. They were let off the hook though after coming clean, stating that they didn't rehearse the song for the tour. All and all, it was a great show after my brief concert-going hiatus. Hell, The Go! Team looks awfully tempting tomorrow night. The 10pm doors, however, do not.

Posted by Brett at 11:28 AM |