I think often when writing about music we tend to fall back on clichés. It’s unfortunate, but how do you describe something that is created to fill the gap of indescribable experience? It’s tricky. So you’ll have to forgive me if I utilize a few clichés when I talk about the Dark Was the Night concert that took place at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday May 3rd.
First off, it was obviously fantastic. We all knew it would be. This is the compilation that found its way onto almost every music bloggers “Best Album of the Year” list in FEBRUARY. And the sales of Dark Was The Night support the Red Hot Organization, an AIDS outreach program. I’m going to go ahead and share my favorite concert moments with you, otherwise I will be here raving all day.
During SXSW, I received tweet after tweet on my dashboard about Amber Coffman from the Dirty Projectors. She was a revelation etc. This was no exaggeration. Coffman is a little pint-sized wood nymph, who could potentially blow you clean away with her powerful voice. The band performed “Stillness is the Move” and the song is just SO beautifully intricate and layered. It translated very well live thanks to Coffman whose dance moves were… phenomenal. She’s so adorable it kills me. Also “Knotty Pine” was David Byrne’s first appearance on stage. Clutch.
Then The National. Oh, The National. My first time seeing them live and I want to bow down and apologize for waiting so long. The way Matt Berninger almost swallows the microphone and then ambles around on stage? How did I miss this for so long?! They graced us with new material that included an incredible track “London” (and stellar guitar solo from Justin Vernon) and of course “So Far Around the Bend.” Everything was executed flawlessly.
David Byrne was his usual jovial self and his set list was one of the most interesting as he played a series of songs he has done for the Red Hot Organization over the years, which he had not previously performed live. It added the appropriate tone to the show, both reminding us why this album was created in the first place and giving the audience the something special it expected. Both Feist and Bon Iver joined him on-stage.
Now we need to get down to Bon Iver- hands down the shining diamond of this show hardly leaving the stage. Starting off with “Brackett, WI” Vernon then chose to segue way into a rocked-out version of “Bloodbank” that remains my ultimate highlight of the evening. IT.WAS.INCREDIBLE. Just in-frickin-credible. Not only does Bon Iver sound BETTER live than recorded, all the genuineness and honesty and true passion that we hear in For Emma is present in the performance. When Shara Worden came onstage for “Flume” I could have died. When The National came onstage for “Big Red Machine” I could have died. I was like a giddy little school girl. There is seriously not enough I could say about Bon Iver to express how truly wonderful I find the music. So I’m going to quit while I’m ahead.
Feist had an interesting, lovely set. She didn’t play the usual fare but she did show off her guitar skills and filled the enormous space of the hall with that eerie voice I hold so dear. If I had to pick one female vocalist to listen to forever, it would still be Feist. She remains the one of the most interesting voices I have ever heard and she’s such a comfortable performer. She jokes and laughs with the audience. Vernon came back out again to join her for “Train Song” as Ben Gibbard was absent.
Finally Sharon Jones strutted her fierce self onto the stage with The Dap Kings; ultimate crowd pleaser. She even stole the show when the all the other performers came out to sing “This Land is Your Land” in honor of Pete Seeger’s birthday. They were trilling along with a nice indie acoustic version, which Sharon decided was too much of a downer. As she belted all the notes, everyone danced and well…
This was just one of those shows that reminded you of music’s power. It’s such an intense force. It’s why we argue so vehemently about it occasionally, because it moves us so much. We believe it is THAT important. To see so many passionate performers in one place, all collaborating with each other was… a very special experience. But I’m doing that clichéd thing aren’t I? Ha-ha. Alright, alright I’m done. I encourage everyone to take a listen to the Dark Was the Night album. Perhaps even buy it, eh? It’s for a very noble cause and it’s definitely worth it.
