If you asked me to try and summarize Saturday night's lineup of Talkdemonic, Shapes and Sizes, and The National at The High Noon Saloon, I guess I'd simply say,
"The National sweat on me."
Opening act Talkdemonic really surprised me. Coming into the show I knew that they were an instrumental band, but I was blown away by the energy level they brought to the stage as the opening act for Shapes and Sizes and The National.
The Portland based duo of Lisa Molinaro and Kevin O' Conner kicked off the night with some blistering cuts off their catalog of songs, producing the full, orchestra-like sound you'd expect to find at an Anima show were Anima to actually grow some teeth and dig into some songs a little harder. Am I saying that because I fell asleep at Anima's concert? Maybe, but it's more of a statement to the Pandora's box of sound that Talkdemonic opened up on stage Saturday night than it is a punch at Anima.
Armed with a viola, laptop, drums, and a floor full of pedals, Talkdemonic set the bar pretty high in terms of an energy level for the night, one that I felt following band Shapes and Sizes didn't really match because of some technical difficulties.
Check out Talkdemonic performing "Final Russian" live in Seattle at the Crocodile Cafe in 2006:
Shapes and Sizes Take the Stage
Shapes and SizesI wasn't really sure what to make of Shapes and Sizes given that halfway through their set their guitarist suffered a "broken guitar." But they played hard, laughed through it, and even jumped into an audience request for "Islands Gone Bad."
Shapes and SizesWhether or not the "broken guitar" affected their performance I couldn't tell, but the discombobulation of their set and at times inaudible vocals was a bit of a let down. As a fan of music, I certainly can appreciate the work Shapes and Sizes has put out, and I'm actually a big fan. But for some reason they didn't seem to connect very well on stage. I'd definitely give them a second look live though, because it was funky, fun, and eclectic, despite what I thought of the overall show.
Shapes and Sizes - "Islands Gone Bad"
Enter The National
Matt Berninger of The NationalHaving gotten to the show pretty early that night, we were treated to a front row spot for all three acts, including the creme de la creme of the night, The National.
Despite a very drunk fan who hung out front row stage left the entire time and a pushy pack of emo girls clamoring to get close to Shapes and Sizes lead singer Caila, the night up to that point was pretty much a success.
It would have been pretty hard for me to be disappointed by The National's performance in any way last night having had their albums on repeat the past year and then missing out on the chance to catch them at Pitchfork last summer. As fellow concert-goer and High Noon Saloon regular Ryan of Muzzle of Bees mentioned to me after the show, "they could pretty much stand up there and read the phone book and I'd still be amazed," as would I.
The NationalHaving been a little disappointed by Shapes and Sizes' set, I was a little nervous that The National wouldn't live up to my expectations, but that couldn't have been further from the truth. Berninger was a consummate rock star all night long, engaging the crowd with a little comedic banter between songs like it was his millionth time on stage in front of awe-struck eyes.
The National played a bunch of great songs, including my current favorite, "Mistaken for Strangers." I hadn't heard "About Today" before Saturday night, and that quickly became one of my favorites as well.
The National's setlist courtesy of a fan on The National Message Board:
Start A War
Slow Show
Secret Meeting
Brainy
Baby, We'll Be
Apt. Story
Lit Up
Squalor Victoria
Racing
Mistaken for Strangers
MURDER ME RACHAEL
ALL THE WINE
Soho Riots
Ada
Fake Empire
Mr. Nov
Encore:
Gospel
Abel
About Today
The National violinOne of the truly classic traits of The National's music that I felt shown through Saturday night was Berninger and the band's ability to toe the line between reserved poet and thrashing rockstar. Most every song of the set contained a bit of each quality, as though Berninger wanted to break out and scream as he did on "Mr. November" and "Squalor Victoria" while yet holding back, deep inside, like on "Baby We'll Be Fine."
"Squalor Victoria"The show was a true gem, and the fact that we were front and center for the whole thing only added to the nostalgia I'm sure to feel every time I hear their music down the road for years to come. We really enjoyed the venue, just as much as we did when we first came to visit last year for the Feist and Jason Collette concert, and the opportunity to talk to Ryan is always a pleasure. We even hung around after the show and had a MGD nightcap while exchanging a few words with Matt O'Conner of Talkdemonic and the "boyishly handsome guitarist," Rory of Shapes and Sizes (Felicia's words, not mine), about his broken guitar.
One of the truly great shows in a long list of great shows.
Yours truly post-show outside The High Noon SaloonSad you missed out on the show? Then head on over to Muzzle of Bees to catch Ryan's review and some videos he uploaded from the concert. If you look closely in the video for "Mr. November" you'll see my head come into the frame for a second or two. Oh yea, and there's also the singing and stuff. That's good too.