Music Box at Henry Fonda 7/19/08
While waiting in line outside of The Music Box at The Henry Fonda Theatre in Hollywood for the Wolf Parade show, I noticed a guy standing in line with ear plugs. I immediately turned to my friend and said, “That can’t be good” pointing to the strangest and most ominous thing I have ever seen a person take into a concert. If he had been one of those dads who is cool enough to take his son/daughter to a concert he may not enjoy, I would have understood. He appeared, however, younger than my 28 years so I couldn’t help but be a little concerned that I was about to enter a realm of noise I may soon regret.
When Wolf Parade took the stage, I knew the guy with the ear plugs was an idiot. Their first song grabbed my entire body and made me want to listen to every drum beat, guitar riff and vocal phrase this band created without the hindrance of the chattering girls next to me, let alone orange foam.
Starting off with, “You Are a Runner and I am My Father’s Son,” a song that is familiar to any avid music listener, Wolf Parade made the statement, “you know who we are and you love us.” The entire audience (save chattering girls still standing next to me and still chattering) fell for it without a thought and what I consider one of the best concerts I have been to this summer (maybe even this year) began with a jolt.
Wolf Parade is comprised of Dan Boeckner, Spencer Krug, Hadji Bakara, Arlen Thompson and Dante DeCaro and each of these five members play so well together that there was never once a moment when it seemed as though one member was vying for the spotlight over any other bandmate: they were each so into the music and their instrument that such a crazy notion never even seemed to come to mind.
Spencer Krug on the Keyboard
While he certainly wasn’t vying for the audiences sole attention, Spencer Krug managed to shut up the chattering girls next to me and the other small handful of people who weren’t already totally into what was going on onstage with his performance of “Grounds for Divorce.” Spencer’s voice is brilliant but it is the way he gets lost in each and every song he is performing that is truly mesmerizing.
There were numerous other highlights throughout the entire set-list and their two song encore: including a moment when Listening Party (the night’s opening act who is definitely worth checking out) joined Wolf Parade on stage and only increased the already heightened energy both on the stage and in the audience.
This was one of those concerts you want all other concerts to be. It was the concert you hope for from some of the greatest bands and yet it’s the kind of concert you rarely, if ever, see come to fruition. The entire audience moved to the music and each member of the band fed off the energy emitted by the listener creating this brilliant symbiotic relationship between the purveyors of noise and the receptors of its beauty. They played like they would never be given the chance to play music again and they made us believe this would be the last time music would reach our ears. I have only experienced such, for lack of a more appropriate word, “magic” a handful of times and these were at concerts with performers known for their stage presence (i.e. Ani Difranco, Sigur Ros, Radiohead). Never has a band I’ve barely listened to been able to remind me why I love music and why I will continue to see shows: because maybe, just maybe I will happen into another concert and witness something as awesome as my evening with Wolf Parade
Pictures By rawkblog4
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2 responses so far ↓
1 Winnie // Jul 22, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Aw, I’m one of those earplug kids, but it’s only because I’m always up close to the speakers. They’re good for blocking out extremely loud noises, but unfortunately, they also detract from the performance as well.
2 Mali // Jul 22, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Don’t worry Winnie…so am I…so am I…
The good news is we’ll be able to hear when we’re 60
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