Last night, I had the pleasure of seeing Grizzly Bear live in concert at Town Hall. Wow. This was one of those special shows that reminds us why we need the performance arts. It was easily one of the best concerts I've ever seen; the band was phenomenally successful musically, visually and atmospherically. If anybody is thinking about seeing Grizzly Bear on this tour, do it. I promise you will not regret it.
What the band did really well was strike a balance between mixing up the presentation of some of their songs, and leaving others much closer to the recorded versions. Beyond that, they were technically mangnificent and the sounds left me breathless. Such beautiful voices! I literally got the chills. It was also neat to hear some of the songs accompanied by the live youth choir that sang with the band on Veckatimest. The lighting was also fantastic-- it complemented the songs effectively, and was not overbearing as concert lights sometimes are. This was a welcome change after I was nearly blinded by the strobe lights at the Roots' Highline Ballroom show last week.
Live music really is something special. This is sometimes lost, I think, as we now find ourselves overwhelmed with recorded material. Music is best enjoyed as a communal experience, as a connection between musicians and audience. I always get that happy nervous energy in the pit of my stomach while I'm waiting for a concert to start. A few minutes into the show, I feel a sort of warm bliss inside that no other experience can evoke. Last night was no exception.
Thank you, Grizzly Bear!
No comments:
Post a Comment