Yes! I am a master predictor. Not only did Band of Horses play “Islands on the Coast” the other night, but they played a whole host of the tunes I predicted. The set-list looked a bit like (liberty taken with the order, and the odd omission or two):
- “Blue Beard”
- “Marry Song”
- “Cigarettes, Wedding Bands”
- “Factory”
- “Dilly”
- “Ode to LRC”
- “The General Specific”
- “Older”
- “Is There a Ghost”
- “NW Apt.”
- “Compliments”
- “Islands on the Coast”
- “Laredo”
- “The Great Salt Lake”
- “No One’s Gonna Love You”
- “The Funeral”
The funny thing about shows in Switzerland is the energy of the crowd. The Swiss aren’t known for the rowdiness or general over-abundance of enthusiasm. They know when to clap and celebrate at the right times, but rarely engage in the music during the actual performance, which is an element that I think can take an average concert to the next level. About thirty minutes into the show the lead singer finished a song and commented, “Alright, there we go! You guys are starting to wake up and we can (expletive) party!”
A few songs later he lit up a cigarette to accompany his song. I was a part of a band for about five minutes my senior year of undergrad and performed “World Spins Madly On” by The Weepies for Greek Idol. When one of the guys in our band thought we should chug some Nesquik before heading on stage I declared that there would be No Milk Beforehand, and thus our short-lived group was named. I suppose I feel the same way about milk as I do cigarettes in regard to performances: the certainly do no singing body any good.
After “The Funeral,” which they proclaimed their best song ever, the band retreated so we could call them back out for an encore. Only two fellows came back out for the most delicate performance of “Evening Kitchen,” a song that I have a particular attachment to. The rest of the group quickly joined them for “Detlef Schrempf” and “Monsters,” closing with the final bars of “Neighbor.” Truly a great show.
Last night Adam and I headed to Cold War Kids to culminate the concert weekend. They played at a smaller venue with a pretty healthy showing. Adam and I were sandwiched between two of the most enthusiastic attendees who were wildly throwing themselves about. One gal was swinging her body around like a “lady of the night” dancer, whilst the other was fist-pumping to an entirely different beat than the band was issuing. They definitely made for a heightened experience.
I’m not as well-versed with CWK as I am with BOH, but they played the four songs I know and I thought they did a pretty good job. Overall, it was a fun night and two good shows in a row!
Ah, yes. And a Happy Valentine’s Day to you!
A Broad At Home 