KneeJerk Reaction: The Walkmen @ Webster Hall 4.16.09
Will add to this tomorrow…
Caught The Walkmen’s warm-up show at Webster Hall before they go off on tour with Kings of Leon (a crime that they are not equally as popular as those nouveau-chic Southern boys). Opening for them were (supposed to be) Beach House and Cymbals Eat Guitars. For some reason, Cymbals got booted from the bill (hopefully not for Vega/Crystal Castles reasons… eek) and replaced by The Antlers. I like The Anters too but was not as interested in seeing them live. Josh and I, after an over-priced dinner at Chapel Hill transplant, Cosmic Cantina, made it in time for my two favorite Antlers’ songs (Bear and Two) so… fine. </digression>
1. Webster Hall smells bad. Like a musty toilet.
2. Beach House? I don’t get it. WHY do they bother having a live drummer? WHY do people put up with this? WHY does someone I admire musically like Ed Droste love these guys? I just don’t get it. It was the musical equivalent of sitting through a Catholic mass.
3. Super-kudos to Webster Hall for clearly advertising and adhering to set times.
Walkmen came out with what I think was a new tune with much whistling. Pleasant, which is an interesting direction from this band. In fact, Hamilton seemed in unusually good spirits (judging from when I’ve seen them). He smiled, chatted, seemed generally relaxed as opposed to before when he seemed aloof or stand-off-ish. They brought out The Rat early. Always amazing. Rolled through most of “You & Me” including ‘Canadian Girl’ (which suffered from poor mixing — where was the guitar?!) but no ‘Blue Route’ (sad emoticon). New songs sounded pretty good, if a little rough-draft. Spanish influence continued in one. Another tune that cracked the seven-minute mark according to Ham (their longest song ever). Sorry to say, it kind of felt like it even though it included some of the highest notes I’ve heard him sing. They also have one of the best drummers around.
There was a seven-piece horn section that sounded pretty great (this from someone who hates horn sections). There was an unfortunately subdued “We’ve Been Had” (which Hamilton chalked up to being newly 31). Set closed with a “goddamn-this-guy-has-the-voice-of-a-god” version of ‘In the New Year’. Seriously, you guys. This man sings like no one else I’ve ever heard. I really wish we would have gotten a solid ‘Thinking of a Dream’ or ‘Little House of Savages’ but they closed on a more subdued note with ‘New Country’.
[If anyone knows the name of the song (maybe it was new) which had Ham holding out an impossible note for an impossible amount of time (lyric: If you ________ why don’t you say something?) PLEASE tell me because that was just… mind-blowing].
The Walkmen are one of the best bands to come out of the new century. Go see them any chance you get. They’ve calmed down a little (unfortunately) but in between the wistful resign, they still have moments of the frustrated angry youth that caught our attention to begin with.
Watch: ‘We’ve Been Had’ , “In the New Year” , “Little House of Savages”
Buy: Everything
