Much as I did last year, I’ll be saving my full commentary until after all the shows are done. After Wednesday night’s show, I am full of thoughts already, so I’ll need some time to digest.
“The horns have been multiplying. It’s been a fertile year.” –Andrew Bird on the 21 hornlets joining him on stage, pictured above.
The Gezelligheid shows always seem to bring out a different Andrew Bird than the one we see throughout the rest of the year. While I could never call an Andrew Bird concert predictable, there are certain songs that you expect to pop up, particularly if he’s playing with the full band. With these shows, however, all bets are off, as Bird frees himself to try out new songs, or to introduce us to older ones which are continuously evolving. Based on last year’s shows, it seemed like it took a few days for Bird to settle in to his cavernous surroundings at Fourth Presbyterian Church, so I’m excited to see what the next two shows bring.
Setlist
Instrumental (opening of Nomenclature)
Wake Up (on setlist as Dyin’ Beds)
Why?
Nyatiti
Carrion Suite
Desperation Breeds (on setlist as Breeding Desperation)
The Lazy Projector
Capital I
Oh Baltimore
Headsoak
Masterfade
Give It Away
Barn Tapes (with Jeff Parker)
Danse Carribe (with Jeff Parker)
Section 8 City (with Jeff Parker)
Encore
Orpheo Looks Back
Fatal Shore
Goin’ Home (Charley Patton)
Andrew Bird: Official Website | MySpace | Twitter | Store
Oh Baltimore was renamed as “I on I”, and it was referred to as such on the setlist as well. It really was an amazing series, but night 3 was probably the best. What did you think of the opener?
Thanks! I caught the “I on I” change later in the week but haven’t gone back to revisit Wednesday’s setlist.
I think my favorite night was night 2, but the surprise appearance by Nora on night 3 puts it pretty close behind. Their encore together just gave me chills.
I have mixed feelings about the opener. Jeff Parker’s obviously very talented and creative, but sometimes what he played was a bit too experimental for my tastes. As a musician, I definitely appreciate what he’s able to do, but as a listener, sometimes I felt like I just didn’t get it. I did really like the extra sound and layers he added to the songs that he played with Andrew each night, though.