A few nights ago, I went to my first of Montreal show, and it was pretty amazing. I've seen video of performances, but it's quite something else to really experience. Icky Blossoms opened the show, and though I had never really heard of them, I thought they did a great job. They were kind of a synthy danceable indie act, and whoever they got to be their touring rhythm section (they're a three piece with no dedicated bass or drums) were great, especially the bass player. His low end really shook the place, and the effects he put on the bass were really interesting.
of Montreal opened with a small narration before quickly diving into 'Bassem Sabry' of the new album, Aureate Gloom. It sounded great live. They played right on through to 'Suffer for Fashion', and did a pretty good amount of tunes without letting up. Very high energy and the crowd was dancing to every second. The thing that was really interesting to me during the performance was the lighting effects. They had a projector running visuals, but then crew members would come on stage with large white discs and other shapes for the projectionist to screen images onto. The highlight of this was when Kevin Barnes was surrounded by screens and given wings with some really psychedelic patterns. Near the middle of the show, the band slowed the pace a bit with a country cover, along with 'Obsidian Currents'. Then, the energy was right back up to the ceiling.
After another small narration and surfing through the crowd, Kevin Barnes led the band through a multi-song encore including high intensity versions of 'Gronlandic Edit', 'She's a Rejecter', 'Heimdalsgate like a Promethean Curse' and 'The Past is a Grotesque Animal'. 'Gronlandic Edit' in particular was amazing with all the vocal harmonies working so well, and the masked dancers were insane. The guitarists antics on 'Rejecter' were pretty impressive, where he jumped into a dancer's arms and kept playing without missing a beat.
On the way out, I stopped by the merch table, where I got a copy of the bassist Bob Parin's solo album (he was on fire that night) and a vinyl copy of Hissing Fauna. Icky Blossoms were also there selling their merch, and then (gasp) David Barnes just waltzes on through. I was super star struck. I probably sound like such a creeper, but it was awesome.
All in all, a great concert experience. Getting that close to the action was awesome, and I don't think I've ever been to show where you could get so close to the band. It was incredible.
Check in later for my opinion on The Waterfall, the newest effort by My Morning Jacket, who I'll also be seeing soon. That should be fun.
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