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Furthur | East Coast Shows | Review

August 6, 2011 in 06, 09, 10, 11, 12, 17, 2, 2011, 25, 27, 29, 30, 31, 8/14, 99, a, acoustic, after, Again, age, all, Also, am, amphitheatre, an, and, Are, around, as, at, ATLANTIC, Bad, balance, Ball, ban, band, bands, beach, Bethel, Bethel Woods, big, black, blue, blues, book, Bridge, Burn, but, ca, can, center, close, comes, concert, Crazy, cream, Crowd, Day, Day., dead, dirt, down, Drop, en, Encore, end, engineer, eq, Eve, excellent, fee, festival, fi, fire, First, fool, FOR, frank, Free, From, front, gain, George, get, gin, give, glow, Good, grace, grateful, great, grounds, Guitar, Gus, hall, hampton, Heads, hi, high, ice, in, into, is, IT, jam, Jay, John, jon, jones, Joy, key, Keyboard, las, Last, late, Laugh, Led, light, lights, Like, live, live music, long, love, MA, Main, MD, Meat, MI, miles, moon, Mr, Much, Music, My, nate, nc, New, new york, News, NH, night, no, ny, of, on, one, op, Open, opener, opening, out, PA, Part, party, Pavilion, philadelphia, Phish, Piano, pk, player, Pop, Pot, pro, production, rad, rage, rain, raz, read, Reprise, rift, Road, rock, roll, rolling, room, rose, row, rs, Sand, saturday, Saw, SC, sci, second, seconds, set, Setlists, Shine, show, Shows, So, solo, song, sound, SPAC, St, stage, start, state, Steam, stick, stone, stones, story, street, Summer, Summer Tour, tab, Taste, tease, That, the, theatre, third, Thunder, times, to, tone, Too, tour, Trip, Trippy, Tv, two, us, USA, va, van, venue, Video, vocal, Wantagh, Way, we, Ween, with, woods, words, years, york, You, Zeppelin | No comments

Words by: Garrin Benfield | Images by: Jay Blakesberg

Furthur :: 07.16.11 :: Bethel Woods :: Bethel, NY

Furthur :: 07.17.11 :: Jones Beach Amphitheatre :: Wantagh NY

Furthur :: 07.23.11 :: Mann Center :: Philadelphia, PA

To see all of Jay’s Furthur shots pop over here!

Furthur @ GOTV ’11 by Jay Blakesberg

If you are marginally involved in the Grateful Dead scene, or perhaps even a distant admirer of improvisational rock, you have probably heard the word on the street that Furthur is the best thing to happen since Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995. If you’ve resisted drinking that particular Kool Aid, I come bearing good news from three of the shows early in the band’s most ambitious Summer Tour – Furthur is on fire! The shows I caught were filled with focused, purposeful playing, diverse, well considered setlists, and a cohesion that can only come from working hundreds of gigs with a consistent lineup. Perhaps most importantly, the energy onstage is more cooperative and loose than it has been in years. Smiles all around!

07.16.11 :: Bethel Woods :: Bethel, NY

Furthur’s debut at Bethel Woods, the nearly-new amphitheatre built adjacent to the original site of the Woodstock Festival, was essentially the tour opener, though the band had played the All Good Festival in West Virginia the previous evening. The venue is surrounded by rolling green hills, wooden fences and lush trees, which seemed to have a calming effect on the already mellow crowd. The cookie-cutter shed itself (insert corporately-owned venue here) sounded good but was aesthetically disappointing.

Bob Weir @ GOTV ’11 by Jay Blakesberg

Without hesitation, Bobby dropped into a Feel Like a Stranger that set the right pace for a Summer afternoon. Even before the first instrumental break all five lead players (yes, I’m including drummer Joe Russo) were clearly busting at the seams to interact. The whole first set was dripping with the kind of improvised interlocking parts for which this band is becoming justifiably well known. The choice to play Crazy Fingers next spoke volumes about the confidence of the band, who were more than up to the task of delivering a second set-worthy version. Cumberland Blues galvanized the whole room for the first time, and was pried open by Jeff Chimenti‘s pounding, slightly atonal piano solo. Phil‘s stately rearrangement of Bird Song segued gracefully into Cassidy, both of which were fully explored. John Kadelecik then broke out the underplayed and underappreciated late-era Garcia/Hunter song Built to Last, and delivered it with the conviction we have come to expect from him. Two Bob Weir showcases, Big Bad Blues and Playin’ in the Band, were played with early tour gusto, setting a magnificent tone for the set (and month) ahead. Of particular note was Chimenti’s re-harmonization of the main Playin’ theme as the long jam emerged into the light of day.

Jeff Chimenti @ GOTV ’11
By Jay Blakesberg

The second set was high energy throughout, but to my ears the clear MVP was again keyboardist Jeff Chimenti. His piano solos, particularly on Eyes of the World, struck just the right balance between a dedicated pocket-driven sensibility and the freewheeling psychedelia these songs demand. Having The Eleven lurch out of Slipknot was a nice left turn, and an even bigger surprise was how inspired this song was, both in Bobby’s sung/shouted What Now refrains, and in Phil’s thundering lines. After Franklin’s Tower (which, frankly, I could do without much more of) came the gem of the second set – a gleaming rendition of Comes a Time, one of Garcia’s most personal ballads sung as a duet between Kadalecik and vocalist Sunshine Garcia-Becker. If you want to hear how far Furthur has evolved as a band, and how, with their encouragement, Kadelecik has grown into his own shoes, listen to this one song from this night. We all know these guys are pioneering virtuosos, but the graceful delivery of this delicate tune really re-set the bar in terms of their taste and musicality.

07.17.11 :: Jones Beach Amphitheatre :: Wantagh NY

It’s always fascinating to observe how the energy of a touring band, particularly one with an improvisational bent, differs from night to night. The opening of this show had the flow of a more standard first set formula, but included some real peaks. Slapping a tambourine, Bob started things off with the requisite but fiery Samson and Delilah, which has been reenergized by an acapella intro. Dear Mr. Fantasy, sung by JK, suffered a bit from placement. Unlike Crazy Fingers the previous evening, I’m not sure Fantasy ever proved exactly why it emerged so early in the show. Black Throated Wind, always welcome in my book, was particularly appropriate in this breezy, oceanside venue. Bob sang this one to the first real climax of the set. After the Furthur debut of Jack a Roe, they launched into a forceful, tight Tom Thumb’s Blues intro that portended great things. Unfortunately, as well as Phil singing, the tune lost some steam midway through the verses. All was forgiven by the time Bob wrapped up an impassioned, well articulated Throwing Stones and the New York crowd was given a dusk Shakedown Street throwdown.

Sunshine Garcia-Becker @ GOTV ’11
By Jay Blakesberg

The second set of this show will be remembered for its uncompromising pace. On its surface, the combined tempos were slow but there was real internal combustion driving the gorgeous Weather Report Suite opener and ensemble sung He’s Gone. I give real props to whoever crafted this setlist (still a bit of a mystery in the Furthur world) for its Sunday evening silkiness. He’s Gone drifted from major key cascades to a blues wail into a gnarled, propulsive interlude (with strong Other One teases) that brilliantly found its way to the centerpiece of the set, Dark Star. I love the vocal arrangement these guys have adopted on this tune, with Phil, Bob, and JK alternating lines on the verse, and then everyone, including Jeff Pherson and Sunshine coming in for the shall we go… chorus. Dark Star became confidently unhinged within seconds of the first chorus and stayed that way for 20-plus creepy minutes. For these guys to be listening and risking at this level on the third show of a tour was a joy to behold. As that incredibly varied excursion settled into silence, and the moon rose over the Atlantic Ocean behind the stage, Phil counted in Unbroken Chain, concluding the most boldly experimental sequence of music I’ve ever heard Furthur play.

07.23.11 :: Mann Center :: Philadelphia, PA

Furthur @ GOTV ’11 by Jay Blakesberg

I loved driving into the sprawling, wooded grounds of the Mann Center with the scene in full swing. After a stroll through Shakedown, we decided to go in early, which turned out to be a wise choice as thousands missed much of the excellent first set getting through the overly thorough security detail. The Mann has a vaulted, wooden ceiling over the pavilion which I suspected would lend itself to excellent acoustics. This turned out to be the case, as the band came out and charged through the unexpected one-two of Sittin’ On Top of the World and Greatest Story, the latter including an extended jam. I was thrilled to hear my first High On A Mountain, a Furthur original that could have been lifted off of Aoxomoxoa, with its regal choruses. The Masterpiece that followed began at what seemed to be a dangerously slow tempo (almost suggesting Brokedown Palace at first) but built to a wonderfully patient and hot conclusion. To the audience’s delight, it also included the not oft-played bridge – Sailing round the world in a dirty gondola/ Oh to be back in the land of Coca-Cola. The much anticipated Rueben and Cherise, sung and played excellently by JK, was given a Terrapin-esque jam treatment in the last few minutes that derailed its energy and seemed to throw JK off for what would ordinarily be a show stopping Loser. The Last Time and a joyous in-the-round Quinn the Eskimo wrapped up a fairly short but extremely satisfying first set.

Furthur @ GOTV ’11 by Jay Blakesberg

The setlist for round two of this show truly does tell the story in the best possible way. The punch and party of Shakedown >Women are Smarter could not be denied. Talk about giving the folks what they want! I even spied some glow stick action – a first for me at Furthur. Any Road, an excellent George Harrison cover that could easily be mistaken for a Robert Hunter tune, generated some serious heat and continued the great flow of this set. The meat of the crisply delivered next sequence, Playing > Help > Slip > Franklin’s > Playing Reprise just flew by, though I’d guess it lasted for 40 minutes or so. Bobby truly owned Death Don’t Have No Mercy; no real surprise given the versions I’ve heard over the last year. He expertly handled the emotional depth and darkness of one of the oldest tunes in the Grateful Dead repertoire, moving from a whisper to a chilling scream. And instead of the forgone One More Saturday Night for an encore, the band brought the house down with Zeppelin’s Fool In The Rain before then dropping into a rowdy Saturday Night. Listening to thousands of Deadheads singing I love the love that I’ve found was an inspiring ending to one hell of a show, and the perfect way for me to bid goodnight to my favorite new venue.

A Few Production Oriented Notes

Phil Lesh @ GOTV ’11
By Jay Blakesberg

Furthur has a new floor-to-ceiling digital screen behind the band that is operated by the lighting engineer. The potential is there for this to be very cool but I found its use at Bethel and Jones Beach to be heavy handed and the imagery to be a bit cliched and computer generated. By the time of the Mann Center shows it appeared some suggestions might have been delivered, as it wasn’t fully deployed until the middle of the first set, allowing the show to ramp up before a full onslaught of psychedelia. The lighting rig itself appears to be very economical, but as with the screen, the twenty or so lights were used to greater effect as the tour went on, often in great concert with the projections.

Sound-wise, Furthur, like the Grateful Dead, is on the cutting edge of PA clarity and punch. I had no complaints about the sound at any of the shows I saw, even with the continuing tradition of the show gradually gaining volume as the night progressed. The front of house engineer took some huge liberties at times that I found fascinating and trippy. At moments, he would seemingly create a duet between Bob and Phil, where there two muscular rhythmic voices would be the clearly highlighted sonic elements, even over JK’s lead guitar. This same approach was occasionally applied during Chimenti’s solos, when his closest ally in the band is Joe Russo, who’s got his back at every turn.

One minor gripe is with the videography. I’m not sure if these guys are using a local crew for the screens, but either way, the folks operating the cameras need to be instructed on how to cut from player to player onstage at the appropriate times. Merely focusing on Bob and Phil became comical while JK or Jeff played their hearts out!

Furthus Tour Dates :: Furthur News

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Furthur Festival | 05.28-05.30 | California

June 5, 2010 in 11, 12, 2010, 28, 30, 31, a, acoustic, age, all, American, and, around, as, at, band, beginning, big, blue, BOTT, brown, ca, california, canon, center, classic, community, concert, covers, Crazy, down, en, end, Eve, fall, fee, festival, fi, First, frank, Free, From, gain, get, golden, grounds, Guitar, hall, hd, hi, high, home, Hope, IT, jam, John, Joy, las, Last, late, life, light, lights, live, logic, love, MA, Main, MI, mix, moon, Music, nc, New, night, Nine, no, ny, of, on, op, opener, PA, Phish, photos, post, Pot, pro, psychedelic, rad, radio, rage, read, rock, roll, rolling, row, run, saturday, second, set, Shine, show, solo, song, sound, stage, state, street, tab, the, theater, times, to, track, trey, Trippy, Tube, war, with, years, You | No comments

By: Garrin Benfield

Furthur Festival :: 05.28.10-05.30.10 :: Calaveras County Fairgrounds ::
Angel’s Camp, CA

Phil & Bobby by Susan J. Weiand

Arriving at the site of the Furthur Festival, I wondered why it had been so long
since the previous Mt. Aire gathering. The setting is classic Northern California –
rolling golden hills punctuated by groves of oak trees, miles of free form campgrounds,
and a lovely grass concert bowl. Clearly the one narrow, congested road into the grounds
could be a major temporary inconvenience to local residents, but it seems the revenue
generated by this mostly supremely mellow, polite crowd would easily offset any
frustrations. Once inside, things mostly ran like clockwork, and the 10,000 or so
gathered were treated to an intimate, bucolic weekend of rock ‘n’ roll.

Perhaps as a nod to those who thought the notion of Furthur
announcing it would perform six Grateful Dead records a bit, shall we
say, antithetical to the Dead ethos, the first night’s “sound check” featured a circuitous
setlist heavy on classics but not tied to any particular era. An inspired “Eleven” opener
gave way to one hell of a set that was dialed in from the get-go. I was struck right away
by the detail of the mix that allowed every instrumental voice to be heard with clarity
and volume. As a full moon rose over the early arriving crowd, the band patiently made
it’s way through a full one-set show, clearly surprising many who were not sure what to
expect from this first evening. Personal highlights for me included John Kadelecik
quoting Trey’s “First Tube” during a heavy “Let It Grow” and Bobby delivering a
stately “Standing On The Moon,” proving the old adage that “if at first one does not
succeed…” Satiated, we all slowly made our way back to the campgrounds, which were
still springing to life in the chilly darkness.

Dan Bern

On Saturday, I wandered over to the Acoustic Stage and caught a beautiful set by Mark Karan and
Friends. While I was there they played an assortment of leftfield covers by
Townes Van Zandt, Randy Newman and the Dead. I had never seen Karan in this context and
he really shone, singing and playing with sensitivity and conviction – a lovely way to
ease into the day. On the Sunshine Stage, Dan Bern delivered
newer songs with his usual incisive, sardonic wit, backed by his new project, Common Rotation.
I’m happy to see Dan on the road again, and especially pleased to have his uncompromising
insights floating about the sometimes pollyana-ish jam scene. Next, James Nash, Joe
Kyle Jr. and the rest of a temporary Waybacks lineup
brought their absolute A-game to the sweltering afternoon, pleasing those perhaps
unfamiliar with their own material with masterful versions of “Dupree’s Diamond Blues” and
“Shady Grove.” These guys are virtuosos with real heart and soul.



What was exciting me most about Furthur’s first “classic albums” sets was the tunes I’d
never seen performed live, or in some cases had never seen the light of day at all.
Oddly, the first half of the American Beauty set, comprised of songs these guys
have played hundred of times, was stiff and a bit rusty. This trend continued into the
first rarely performed song, Pigpen’s “Operator,” this time sung tentatively by
Phil. Happily things warmed up significantly with JK’s reading of “Candyman” (who
can resist “Hand me my old guitar…”) and the rest of the set was a pure joy of
monumental pieces from the dead canon, aided by Larry Campbell‘s
fiddle and guitar, and his wife Teresa Williams‘ vocals. I think for many who grew
up going to or listening to live Dead shows it will always be disorienting to hear
“Ripple” and “Brokedown Palace” in the middle of a set, but “Truckin’” brought it all home
with classic slow burn!

The Workingman’s Dead set busted out of the gates with “Uncle John’s Band” and
never let up. The band had clearly relaxed, and spent the next hour reveling in more
classic tunes that this time benefited from years of having been in the performance
repertoire. Larry Campbell’s biting Strat work lent a shimmer to “Cumberland” and
everything that followed, without impeding Furthur’s own identity and chemistry from
clearly emerging. The Anthem of the Sun set, the most anticipated by many as it
represents perhaps the pinnacle of “primal” Grateful Dead, was a monster from top to
bottom, climaxing with crushing versions of “Alligator” and “Caution.” I hope the
bruising guitar exclamations in “Caution” translate to tape, because, wow, they needed no
explanation under the rising moon!

The Mother Hips

I soldiered on and caught sets by three great bands on Sunday prior to Furthur. The
biggest surprise discovery of the weekend was the towering psychedelic progressive rock of
Carney.
Led by a fantastic and charismatic vocalist/guitarist and the most passionate, fiery band
I witnessed all weekend, Carney’s music seemed to fall in the Jeff Buckley meets Radiohead
universe, a welcome change of pace from the mostly Americana proceedings on the side
stages. The always-great Mother Hips were joined on the main stage by Jackie Greene,
who proved himself more than able on organ. The Hips designed their set for a gentle
afternoon and stuck mostly to their sunny Pacific stylings, save for the odd time changes
and riffage of their mid-nineties classic, “Magazine.” I wouldn’t have missed Electric Hot Tuna,
who were next up on the main stage, for the world. Stalwarts of blues, garage rock,
massive riffs and some of the original diplomats of the Haight-Ashbury, Jorma and
Jack have been playing together for 52 years. I was moved not just by their gnarly
set, but also by their longevity and by the Dead organization’s insistence on their
presence at this Festival. Loyalty does exist in the music business!

Hot Tuna

Initially I thought we were being thrown for a loop when Furthur came out and did not bust
into the expected “Help on the Way” to begin their Blues For Allah set. Instead,
the band leapt into one of those “same tempo as the next song but in a different key” jams
before beginning perhaps the Dead’s most progressive and esoteric collection. “Help >
Slip > Franklin” was pretty happening but not earth shattering. Far more moving was the
intense detail and thunder of “King Solomon’s Marbles,” which I’d vote for most welcome
comeback of the songs Furthur has reintroduced over the last year. “Music Never Stopped”
featured some searing runs by JK, and he delivered “Crazy Fingers” beautifully. Weir’s
dense but lovely “Sage and Spirit” was saved by Jeff Chimenti, who appeared to be
the only person who knew it that well. The “Blues for Allah” suite was a thrill to hear
live, but if you want to hear the only (?) other live version, you might be better off
checking out One From The Vault, as this well-intentioned attempt was gauzy and
confused around the transitional moments. Still, who’s complaining? Standing there
watching these guys try this stuff out and letting these songs wash over me was a thrill.
Joe Russo really distinguished himself deep in this second night with momentum and
focus, as Phil and Bobby seemed to show some wear and tear. There’s more than one reason
to hire a young, talented drummer, right?

Jackie Greene

After a wonderfully trippy set break that allowed some of the evening mist to begin
seeping into the amphitheater, the band returned and brought us back further in time with
a complete performance of Aoxomoxoa, the record that includes perhaps some of the
least performed Dead material of all. After a typically awesome “St. Stephen” (though I
would argue this might be the most over-performed song of the post-Jerry years), JK segued
right into a “Dupree’s” that also featured Larry Campbell on fiddle. For me, the two most
significant tunes that followed were Phil’s reading of Jerry’s “Rosemary” and the 11-
minute, genuinely psychedelic “What’s Become of the Baby?” which asked the pressing
question clearly on everyone’s mind: “Where is the child that played with the sun chimes
and chased the cloud sheep to the regions of rhyme?” Teresa Williams’ vocal wails and
white gown perfectly embodied the acid-queen-diva-goddess on this excursion. “Cosmic
Charlie” brought us home, and almost sadly, to the precipice of the last set of the
weekend.

Mark Karan

Despite mild exhaustion setting in, the Terrapin Station set rocked. To segue from
the set break music, Radiohead’s In Rainbows to a 14-minute “Estimated Prophet” was
perfect. (As a side note, all weekend the house music was very inspired, from Beck at
sunset to James Brown and Billy Preston! Yeah!) “Dancin’ in the Streets” was given its
full disco treatment (minus the convoluted outro jam of the celebrated ’77 versions),
“Passenger” was spot on, and Bobby really rallied for “Samson.” The last awesome surprise
was Teresa Williams returning for a song most people in attendance had surely never seen
performed, the Jerry-penned Donna Gauchaux showcase “Sunrise.” I felt a real affection in
the crowd for this one, a deep track that those of us who spent a few years scouring Dead
records before entering the tape trading community remember fondly. Teresa received a
real ovation before we glided into the B-side of this record, the entire 26-minute
“Terrapin Station” suite. What a way to bring it home!

Sir Joe Russo by Susan J. Weiand

After Phil thanked the crowd for being at our “family picnic,” he generously mentioned all
the people who worked so hard to make the festival happen, which received the largest
cheer of the weekend, hands down. Deadheads can be a wonderfully gracious bunch. The
appreciation was heartfelt, though. The whole weekend had that inescapable quality of
people fully absorbing the music, the scene, the memories, the personal connections, and
the uniqueness of a phenomenon that is not going to last forever. As I listened to the
weave of “Lady with a Fan”, convinced the band had intended this to be a sonic response to
the ecological tragedy unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico, I closed my eyes and said my own
thank you. Thanks, San Francisco! Thanks, Grateful Dead! Now what are we gonna do with
this energy?



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Neon Indian | 03.26 | San Francisco

April 3, 2010 in 09, 2010, 28, 29, 30, 31, a, age, all, and, as, at, band, big, ca, center, Character, concert, down, effects, en, Encore, end, eq, Eve, fee, fi, final, From, Guitar, hi, high, IT, jam, Lange, las, Last, live, MA, miami, Music, nc, New, News, night, Nine, no, ny, of, on, op, page, Phish, Pot, pro, read, run, scent, set, show, song, sound, Stab, stage, studio, the, times, to, tone, Too, tour, track, Trippy, Twist, view, war, waves, with, You | No comments

By: Greg Gargiulo

Neon Indian :: 03.26.10 :: Mezzanine :: San Francisco, CA

Neon Indian by Jet Dar/last.fm

When it comes to seeing any of the up-and-comers in the indie scene live these days, there’s no such thing as a sure bet. Under the massive umbrella that extends over the far reaches of “indie,” it often takes new bands some time to establish the clout, cred or even the chops to garner a live reputation, and results tend to be unpredictable. Heading in to see Neon Indian – who’s been buzzing like the inside of a honeycomb since the release of their debut, Psychic Chasms (10/13/09 Lefse Records) – this sort of uncertainty was applicable. The fact that Chasms clocks in at just under 31 minutes additionally left one to wonder how they’d be able to flesh out a full set with so little material. The fact that they were able to dazzle the Mezzanine audience with such a sweeping display of musical ingenuity and weave it all together as fluidly as they did was almost shocking, and it managed to fast-track this band towards legitimacy in a big way.

The common denominator of the entire performance was a fuzzy, droning hum that was introduced before the full band even made it onstage. Like warm waves washing over all bodies present, the sound would persist in slightly altered incarnations and served as the segue glue that linked each selection together. After ample time was allowed for this hum to run its scene-setting course, business in the form of an actual song was addressed, and it was immediately apparent what type of direction this Texas-based collective was taking. What followed was a vivid array of neo-psychedelia-meets-retro-synth-pop that was weird enough to get lost in but bouncy enough to boogie to. Careful attention was paid to introducing and constructing each piece, and nearly every song featured some additives not found on the studio version that only enhanced the already-solid base.

“Mind, Drips,” one of Chasms‘ standout tracks, saw some striking additions that made it soar notably higher than the rest. With a foundation of spacey synth arpeggios and an electronic bass-kick that together denoted cosmic sailing of some sort, lead singer Alan Palomo‘s distant, echoed vocals on top of the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ of the backup singing helped further convey the notion of passing through the atmosphere into the ether. As if visual components were needed to complete the interplanetary picture, vibrant green and red lasers ran patterned courses overhead in sequence with the divine sounds below.

Neon Indian by Jet Dar/last.fm

If the contents of a song were ever to be described by its title alone, “Terminally Chill” could easily combat – peacefully, of course – with just about any other conceivable contender. Flowering daisies, a hilltop picnic at sunset and an iridescent sky laced with swirling cumulus clouds all sprung to mind with this one, which gave guitarist Ronald Geirhart a prime spot to shine. Working with Spaceman-esque attire and some Jimmy Page-like movements, Geirhart made some definitive points as to how and where his guitar transmissions could fit into this band, and his licks pierced brilliantly through the hazy backdrop of lo-fi synth bops.

The only disappointment, albeit a minor one, came in the form of “Should Have Taken Acid With You,” considered one of their two major hit singles. Though extended like every other number they put forth, nothing supplemental or innovative stood out with this one, and for the only time all show, Palomo’s vocals sounded weak and inferior. Trippy little drips and drops still pushed through and twisted things up a bit, compliments of Leanne Macomber‘s tweaked-out keyboard work, but as a whole it left something to be desired. Fortunately, the other hit, “Deadbeat Summer,” did more than enough to redeem the brief sleeper. The quintessential jam that characterizes Neon Indian’s sound more than any other, “Summer” had everything that makes them such a satisfying listen – basic drum beat, well-placed distorted guitar jabs, a dancing, high-pitched key progression with some phaser and flanger effects, and Palomo’s caressing vocals issued while he glided back and forth across the stage. A very distinctive form of dancing – something like toned-down hippie flailing spliced with some left-to-right foot shimmying and casual head nods – accompanied this tune and was a unique sight to behold.

To cap off a stellar presentation of onstage skills and commanding presence, they encored with one straight from the annals of the early ’80s: Yazoo‘s “Situation.” Given the fact that most of their tracks contain direct underpinnings that can be traced back to ’80s greats like Depeche Mode and The Cure, it made sense that they’d pull out this sometimes-forgotten gem to close things out. The familiar refrain and identifiable chord progression did plenty to stir things up one final time and turn the place into a Miami Vice-like nightclub.

For such a young band out of a pool of unproven, hyped-up acts to already be putting on bangers such as this, it’s a safe to raise the bar of expectations just a smidgeon and spread the word about what this troop is capable of.

Neon Indian Tour Dates :: Neon Indian News :: Neon Indian Concert Reviews

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