They've Shown This on Both Screens

First avenue, June 11, 2010

Much fear going into this one. Tour Bus breakdown around Winnipeg. Strib guy says no Destroyer nor Neko Case (i baited the show hook with the Shawner on the basis of Neko being there), although PPress guy says yes to Neko and Bejar (i remain somewhat curious about his source) so no one has a definitive answer to the full band question. No Dodos (sigh) Big crowds downtown for the Twins/Braves series. Evening fraught with disaster potential. Anxious Anxiety Abounds.

But yahoo!!!! All was good. Bus arrived on time! Neko AND Destroyer (jeez, strib guy, how about a LITTLE effort?) ARE in the building. And Twins win (with eye candy galore). alas, no Dodo’s but that was just a dream (and Golden Mask was ok-ish)

And the show? OOOH, i really enjoyed it. But really, I suppose the NPs are critic proof. They definitely know how to put on a show. They have the songs and enough star power to put the shine back on the outside of first ave..(I’d see each of the leads solo-and have, although i’d never see the NPs before, so i’d be curious to hear what a regular NPs concert goer thinks). I’d expect an exceedingly polished and professional show, which is of course, what we got.

So, satisfaction comes down to two things: did they play your favorite song (and how deep did they go)? and were they having fun (cos if the band has fun, i almost always have fun).

so let’s just say a pretty good yes to the first one (they played Spanish Techno—albeit too early in the show, but no Bones) but we also got healthy portions from Twin Cinema (Ya, that Bleeding Heart Show ROCKED) and Challengers in addition to some fun cuts from Mass Romantic and Electric Version. And the Together songs played a lot better live for me than they have on the record. I’m usually fine with one encore (sometimes prefer none) but friday night i was really wishing they’d come back and play a second one. Didn’t even have particular songs i wanted to hear (other than maybe Bones), just wanted them to play more.

And as for the second, that would be a big yes to my eyes and ears. Lots of entertaining cross chatter between the band members, especially Neko and Carl (with Kathryn acting as hallway momitor, keeping things moving and the repartee in check. (A.C. Newman does kinda seem like a charlatan....and not in the UK way) I don’t get the diva act with destroyer going on and off the stage (shake a tambourine, dude) but i still dug his songs (jackie especially). And of course, it is deliriously fun to watch all the band members play their respective instruments with a blissful grin on their faces.

kinda like the grin i had on my face as we walked out of the club.