Last week I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Hamilton Leithauser was opening up for Death Cab For Cutie at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York. The venue is a much more convenient drive for me than NYC (believe it or not), and the one-two punch of Hamilton and Death Cab was dreamy.
It was only a month ago that I saw Hamilton play one of his first solo shows at Joe’s Pub. That show featured a giant 14-piece band, and was every bit as grand as it sounds. This opening set that he played last night was much different, as it featured only Hamilton and other Walkmen-bandmate Paul Maroon.
This time around Hamilton offered alternative acoustic versions to the tracks off his soon to be released debut album Black Hours. Hamilton played an acoustic guitar while Paul handled an electric. These were much more subdued and hushed versions than what I heard at Joe’s Pub, something that actually fit the context of the quaint atmosphere that The Capitol Theater provides. It felt like a private moment that Hamilton was allowing us to be a part of, something of a treat.
It was cool to hear the songs in this form, further proof that Hamilton is a jack of all trades.
You can stream the seriously terrific Black Hours right now over at NPR.
Check out some more photos of his performance last night, posted below, along with the lyric video of album cut “I Retired.”
“I Retired”:
Join the conversation