Posts about Webster Hall
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Download “White Winter Hymnal” | This is an entirely overindulgent post–there’s only about a month to go, and I’ve been spending all of my free time obsessing over the elections (luckily I’m not blogging about it here), and I refuse to be overly optimistic, so my breath is held until November 4th. This post is comfort for these nerve-wracking times. It features tons of more photos from the Fleet Foxes show at Webster Hall–and these, taken by Kashish, are far better than the ones I previously posted. My only regret is that keyboardist Casey Wescott was too far off to the left for us to photograph him. And yes, there are a lot of Skyler Skjelset photos. He was standing right in front of us; he looked like a beautiful elf, and the lights were so pretty, and his guitar sounded like twinkling stars, so did you really expect us to restrain ourselves? (I’d like to remind you about these nerve-wracking times). PS. I picked up their vinyl and it features both the self-titled album and Sun Giant EP, plus those marvelous download codes.
All photos by Kashish. Videos by Sahara (from a tiny point-and-shoot, but the quality is surprisingly good–I’m going to add the new song in a while; the second one is “Katie Cruel” unplugged, literally).
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The strength of a Fleet Foxes show is the same one you’ll find on their albums: beautiful songs and gorgeous harmonies; and if you aren’t in love with their recordings, you probably won’t fall in love with their shows. Last night, the comfort with which the band sailed through their marvelous songs, and the presence of cool mountain air these songs manage to evoke, was probably best encapsulated by guitarist Skyler Skjelset. His guitar was so crisp and audible, and he plays so many key parts burned in our memory of the songs, that I couldn’t help feeling terrified for him–one small slip of a note and we’d recognize it as if it’d been a personal betrayal. There were no such betrayals, however, and to our delight, the band was also quite chatty. (Update: Videos and more photos from the show)
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Animal Collective’s Strawberry Jam is true to the intention of creating a sound that is akin to the aesthetic of the fruit jam. Skeletons, then, even though two of them wore fluffy dresses, seemed like an odd choice for stage decor. Sadly, however, despite a steady start with “#1″ and the few favorable moments that followed, the music sounded like the superbness of the album was crumbling as the soundtrack to its own ruin. And to this image the three skeletons seemed appropriate, though I’m sure the effect was not as intended.
Continued, and more photos, after the jump.
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Andrew Bird was willing to be a lot sillier at Webster Hall last night, throwing up his arms clumsily in dramatic gestures and making playful pauses in some of the stylized performances. Characteristic of him, he does it all with a straight face, even when he brought out the sock monkey someone made for him. He held the figure in his hands and took the time to show off his clothing (pin stripe suit), especially the socks, as well as the violin he carries on his back. After this the monkey sat in front of one of the gramaphone amps for the rest of the night.
Photos after the jump.
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From the first of the two November 13, 2006 shows: Newsom started with an impeccable performance of a few solo tunes—”Bridges and Balloons,” a traditional Scottish song, and “Sadie”. A request for “Emily” came in early in the show, at which Newsom said with a smile, I’ll get to that in a while. Then – her three-piece band appeared with a female vocalist, and to everyone’s delight she announced they were going to play the new record start to finish. And so they did with greatest sensitivity, the songs meticulously arranged for a four-piece. After “Only Skin,” perhaps knowing there was only one more tune from the album to go, the audience took time to pre-emptively hoot and encore-applaud, at which Newsom turned to her band with a shrug and an inquisitive look. After the slow and quiet finish of “Cosmia,” she came back solo, ending with “Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie” and “The Book of Right-On.” Then – she just ran off the stage.
