50 shows in 50 days is a lot more work than you'd think, but also a lot more fun -- especially when you get to see shows like last night's, where Yeasayer and Amazing Baby played at Pier 54 and we closed out our summer project. Through the menacing clouds in the sky, both bands played great sets to a young and enthusiastic crowd there to see the indie darlings from Brooklyn.
Amazing Baby was up first, and though their set was short, it was good. The Brooklyn duo (plus a rotating crew of others) consisting of Will Roan and Simon O'Connor are another in the lineup of bands coming straight out of Wesleyan who are seriously worth taking a look at. Their music combines a lot of different elements from many styles: funk, jazz, rock, prog, psychedelia, and many others. But it's the anthemic quality of the music on the more upbeat songs that gives their music the punch it can deliver when written well, combining big rock sounds with the other elements of their craft. Though most of the crowd seemed like it was just waiting through them to get to the next act, I saw a few people really getting into it -- and for good reason, I think. Amazing Baby, while not as great performers as the audience may have needed, definitely have potential.
After a longer intermission, the main act was on: Yeasayer took stage, and the night really began. Self-described as making music that's "Middle Eastern-psych-snap-gospel," the experimental indie band from Brooklyn is a group of guys who know how to make the end of the world sound kind of appealing. The ominous clouds overhead actually made for the perfect mood for Yeasayer to play in, because it leant an element of the dramatic to the already over-the-top-in-a-good-way music we were hearing from the stage, where the theatrically colored lighting was giving us a contrast to the muddy skies behind the band. Since their inception in 2006, Yeasayer has continuously been generating buzz, and now, having seen them for the first time last night, I can understand why. Their live show is different from their album music, but not so much that it makes them unrecognizable -- and it's kind of what you'd expect. The music is much more overwhelming in person, as it should be. There's a sense of desperation and necessity; the band needs you to hear their music, but not in a plaintive, pleading way -- it's just that there's no other option but to listen and hear it, and let it create your mood. Technically, their harmonies are tight and beautiful, with lead singer Chris Keating's soaring range combining with the other members of his band to create really interesting melodies that often keeps the music grounded when the instruments are experimenting further and further. One of their last songs played was the darker and brooding "Wait For The Summer," where Keating ends up yelling, "SINK INTO THE RIVER." A little bit of an ironic choice, given the setting of the concert -- on a pier in the Hudson -- but it was the right mood for the night.
Honestly, it was a great way to end the project: on a cool night with cool music on the water. Couldn't have asked for much better.
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At the end of June, Katharine and I started going to shows every night in an attempt to see fifty straight. After enduring a rainy summer and witnessing both mind blowing and mediocre performances, we reached the end of the journey last night when Yeasayer and Amazing Baby played at Pier 54. As on many evenings this summer, the sky was overcast with the threat of rain (literally) hanging over our heads. The show brought out a large crowd of mostly twenty-something New Yorkers, many still dressed in their work clothes.
Amazing Baby, a Brooklyn band with a psychedelic sound, began performing slightly after dusk with spectators trickling in throughout the performance. The band’s first few songs including “Supreme Being” had a depressed quality, and the band members were mostly stationary as they played, doing little to inject energy into the performance. The crowd didn’t seem to be feeling the music either. “This one is more of a thrasher if you feel like dancing,” advised lead singer Will Roan as a man behind me quietly made snide comments about the band. Towards the end of the set, Amazing Baby gained momentum with songs that were a bit more memorable and up-tempo, but overall it was a very middle of the road set.
Most of the crowd was there to see Yeasayer a Brooklyn band that has generated considerable hype recently with their experimental polyrhythmic sound. Yeasayer combines skilled musicianship with stunning harmonies, and occasionally with drum machines and samples. The members of Yeasayer: Chris Keating , Anand Wilder, and Ira Wolf Tuton are all very accomplished on their instruments, and both guitarist and bassist could be lead singers for most other bands. Actual singer/ Keyboardist Chris Keating is a wonder on stage; his wild gesticulations remind me of David Byrnes’ performance in Stop Making Sense while his startling, frantic bass to falsetto singing range is incomparable. Yeasayer’s songs have an anthemic quality, big choruses skillfully bolstered by chant like harmonies on songs like “Tightrope.” Last night on stage for Yeasayer’s set, an assortment of globe shaped lights flashed different colors reflecting the vibe of each song. On their rendition of “Tightrope” the track was punctuated by a whistle like synth tone that Keating strategically dropped when the globe lights flashed purple and red. Yeasayer ended their set with a bang. As the globe lights flashed on and off, the band jammed on the futuristic spiritual “2080” with Keating’s voice sounding desperate and hyper.
Applause and the plaintive yells of devoted fans convinced Yeasayer to come back for an encore, but oddly most of the crowd continued to leave even with the band back on stage. It was almost as if a large section of the audience had come just to say they were there and left as soon as their obligation was completed. Nonetheless, for those stayed, Yeasayer seemed thrilled to perform and delivered.
