If you know someone who is unsure of what to make of Grizzly Bear and all their recent hype, the best solution is to take them to see Grizzly Bear live. Not only are Grizzly Bear one of the best live bands today, but their shows are just a pleasure to attend. Although they will certainly enjoy the wonderful albums and EP’s that Grizzly Bear have put fourth, their is just something truly special about seeing these 4 Brooklyn natives live.
Openers Here We Go Magic came on promptly at 8pm and played a solid 45 minute set of trippy rock. I enjoyed it tremendously, especially the extended shoegaze rendition of “Tunnelvision”. Grizzly Bear didn’t waste much time either, they came out to play at about 9:15, showing how professional these guys are. For once, a headlining band came out on time, if not earlier than expected!
You wouldn’t have known that these 4 dudes are getting some of the biggest hype in recent memory from their presence. They are all very shy. They don’t bring attention to themselves, instead they just let their music do the talking for them!
They played all the songs I could have asked for. A good portion off Veckatimest, and Yellow House. They even threw in a short rendition of “Service Bell” leading right into the classic “Knife”. They had a childrens choir for many of the tracks off Veckatimist that had the choir on it. Every song sounded polished live, and the band delivered it with confidence. Songs like “Little Brother” and “On A Neck, On A Spit” are re-worked masterfully for the live setting. “Colorado” becomes a dark folk-psychedelic freak out! All the new songs sounded absolutely mint last night, with no particular highlight, because quite frankly they all were practically perfect. “Two Weeks” and “While You Wait For The Others” were mesmerizing (surprised?) and “Foreground” was a beautiful performance that was a real tearjerker. They even slipped in “He Hit Me” in the encore, which was just a bonus. It is really scary how good they sound live.
Even if you are not familiar with the band, I want you to go see them live anyway. Ed Droste and Dan Rossen have two of the best voices in rock music today. Chris Taylor and Chris Bear are not too far behind them. They all can sing – GOOD. Their instrumentation is clean and precise. They are a real band, and put on a real show. You were able to sit down in a seat and enjoy this. They not only make great music, but entertain – without even trying!
Grizzly Bear have grown to become one of my favorite bands. It’s not because of the hype, its not because of the glowing reviews. Sure those are nice, and perfect live shows certainly help. However, it is the type of guys that they are that really makes me adore them. Ed’s twitter, the bands kindness. It all reflects greatness, and it makes me proud to be a fan of this wonderful band. I cannot wait to see them again. Until then, Veckatimest will stay on repeat.
[mp3] : Grizzly Bear – Cheerleader
[mp3] : Grizzly Bear – Foreground
Here are some photos I took that I was happy with:
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