I went to the Andrew Bird concert at the State Theater last weekend, and I have to admit that I swooned a little bit in my seat. I was with the husband, so I couldn't swoon too dramatically or anything, plus I was sitting down the whole time, but in my mind I was swooning like an Elvis fan at the ground-breaking, hip-swiveling height of his rock 'n' roll fame.
It may seem strange to swoon over a skinny, introverted guy wearing a scarf and dancing jerkily to his own violin playing, but that's just the kind of thing I go for. I had never seen Andrew Bird play live before, so I was struck immediately by his mild-mannered, self-deprecating humor, and his impassioned whistling and violin finger-picking. Who knew that two such traditionally un-rock 'n' roll moves could knock my socks off?! Consider them knocked.
What I loved about the show was the blend of instrumentation and computer assisted mixing that all happened simultaneously with the help of multiple mics and foot pedals that Bird used interchangeably and instantaneously. That there was some multi-tasking! Even more impressive was the double-horned gramophone-looking contraption at the back of the stage that I initially thought was part of the artsy set design. That too was part of the music-making accoutrements. Bird would step on a foot pedal at the height of a song's arc and then the recorded loop would echo forth out of those double horns - that were spinning no less! It was simply awesome.
Now, I am fully into my thirty-somethings, and I have come to realize that going to shows at First Ave - no matter how much I like the artisit playing there - are no longer a good time. You get pushed around as people jockey for positions closer to the stage, strangers shout their conversations into your left ear as they try to talk over your head and over the music, people spill their beers on your shoes, and your feet hurt from standing on the cement floors starting when doors open two hours before the show and all through the often times crappy opening act. Last time I went to a show there I left feeling like I hadn't really been able to experience the music I had gone there to hear because there was so much else going on around me.
Behold the State Theater as my new favorite venue for grown-up concert going! We had tickets that got us right in the door, seats that were assigned to us alone, and the people in front of us were not only sitting down as well, so we could see the artists on stage, but because we were in an actual theater, their seats were a bit lower than ours. Similar to stadium seating at movie theaters - what a concept!! I fully acknowledge that the First Ave scene is still great for many a twenty-somthing who wants to dance the night away and be seen at all the happening shows. No argument there. But that scene is no longer for me, and that's why I was glad to discover the State. The experience of seeing the show there enhanced my enjoyment of the music I was already going to love.
Back to Andrew Bird. To put it simply, he's a genius. I so appreciate the intelligence and passion he puts into his albums and his performances. I loved his music before, but I love it even more now that I've seen him play it live. I highly encourage anyone who reads this to go right now and get thee some Andrew Bird tunes for your listening pleasure.
Bird is the word.
i luff you.
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