Salı 14 Haz 2011, 21:02

Sat 11 Jun – Okkervil River, Titus Andronicus, Future Islands

I was happy to see that Okkervil River were playing a date in Columbus, as it was both near enough to home to be accessible and far enough away that I could make a weekend trip out of it. That said weekend trip would allow a visit (or two) to Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams may have also factored into my decision. Dairy delights aside, Okkervil River were one of the few bands I really enjoy that I had yet to see live, so I was not about to miss the opportunity. Spoiler: I didn't!

We arrived at the show rather early to snag good spots, partly because we are short and partly because our friends who were also attending had to show up late due to a wedding rehearsal. On the plus side, we had a great view from the second level of the venue. On the downside, the chairs we sat down on had apparently been left out in the rain and were soaking wet. You win some, you lose some, you get your ass wet some. We got used to it.

The first opener, Future Islands, are one of those new buzz bands that I listened to based on hype but utterly failed to enjoy. That lack of enjoyment translated admirably to the live setting, as I found them to be an odd and entirely unappealing combination of Depeche Mode and Jack Black. Except instead of the heavy metal seriousness being played for laughs as it is in Tenacious D, it was supposed to actually be serious. I think. Maybe I just don't get it, but at least I only had to not get it for a mercifully short 30 minutes.

Second act, Titus Andronicus, were much more pleasant to my musical palate. I quite enjoyed their latest album, though I felt the songs were a little too long at points, and that more or less held true for the live show. They certainly had a lot of energy, though, which made the longer tracks more enjoyable in person than in recorded form. I liked them quite a lot!

Okkervil River played a setlist which more or less met my expectations, though there were also some nice surprises. Observe:

White Shadow Waltz
A Hand To Take Hold Of The Scene
The Latest Toughs
Rider
Starry Stairs
Wake And Be Fine
Piratess
The Valley
John Allyn Smith Sails
No Key, No Plan (Acoustic)
So Come Back, I Am Waiting
Your Past Life As A Blast
For Real
Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe
Lost Coastlines
__________________

The Rise
Westfall
Unless It's Kicks
__________________

Of course there was a fair amount of new stuff, but I was surprised at how many songs from Black Sheep Boy made an appearance. Both The Latest Toughs and So Come Back, I Am Waiting were very welcome, as was John Allyn Smith Sails, which I had also not expected to hear. Although No Key, No Plan lost a lot of appeal in its acoustic form, that was pretty much the only misstep in my view. The run from For Real to the end of the show was rock solid and I can't really complain about the setlist.

For that matter, I can't really complain about much of anything! The sound was good, the band was spot-on and energetic, and the crowd was pretty great. Really, aside from a wet bottom it was about as good as a show gets. Hooray!