For the past five years I have been listening to the Mountain Goats. Throughout this time, I have wanted to see John Darnielle perform with any incarnation of the band. Last night, finally, my wish was granted as the Mountain Goats performed at The Mad Hatter in Covington, KY.
The opening act for the evening’s show was Bowerbirds, a band that Darnielle has called his "favorite new band in forever." The stripped down, folk sound of the band worked well as an opener. Their set was full of sparse arrangements and harmonized vocals. Dulcet singing and a nylon-string guitar were constants throughout the set. The accompanying instrumentation varied between accordion, violin, pedal keyboard, and bass drum. While the band does not demonstrate the emotional dynamics that the Mountain Goats capture, the Bowerbirds’ songs were syrupy and serene. Their forty minutes of mellow music was a good warm up for the main attraction.
After a brief intermission, during which The Mad Hatter played Spoon's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga through the PA, John Darnielle, Peter Hughes, and Jon Wurster took the stage. With the opening lines of the first song, "Wild Sage," "I leave the house as soon as it gets light outside/ Like a prisoner breaking out of jail," the dynamics of the band were immediately apparent. The band started the set incredibly quiet. And the audience clung to the aural reticence.
This performance provided a platform to showcase the Mountain Goats' greatest strength. Darnielle, accompanied by Hughes on bass and vocals and Wurster on drums, offered hushed whispers and resounding shouts with music that was every bit as dynamic. Other bands have presented similar fluctuations in volume and presentation, but none have performed each level of volume with as much emotion as the Mountain Goats. This was not the whiny melancholy of an emo band or unrecognizable wails of a screamo band. In this onyx venue with the poorly lit stage, the singer's delivery covered a spectrum of realistic and poignant sentiments. His voice wavered with tender frustration as he sang the lines "You start singing that stupid children's song/ You think I don't know it/ But I just don't feel like singing it/ Sure do love/ I sure do love you" in "Orange Ball of Hate." There was the striking sound of determination in the refrain from "This Year," "I am going to make it through this year if it kills me." There was also a celebrated, euphoric chorus of "La la"s during "We Were Patriots."
The set was dominated by Darnielle's newer compositions. There were no songs from the "Going To" or "Alpha" series. The repeated request for "No Children" was not filled. The majority of the songs were from the two most recent releases, Get Lonely and The Sunset Tree, with two new songs that will hopefully be included on next year's Heretic's Pride. The second and final song of the band's encore was "Houseguest," written by Darnielle's Extra Glenn accomplice, Franklin Bruno. The vocalist put down his guitar. Hughes and Wurster played the song as Darnielle climbed onto the subwoofers that lined the front of the stage. As he sang the song he ruffled the hair of an audience member and gave hugs.
www.mountain-goats.com
www.bowerbirds.org
Thanks to Dan here are videos from the show.
"New Monster Avenue"
And "Orange Ball Of Hate"
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Nice review, I have some additional thoughts and photos myself....
http://www.eachnotesecure.com/the-mountain-goats-live-madhatter/
Posted by: Joe | 15 November 2007 at 08:38 AM