(Words by Dave, pics by Jodi Ann)
Someone mentioned to me before I left for the concert today that seeing Band of Horses for the first time is something akin to a religious experience.
Jodi and I headed out this afternoon in blue skies, jamming out to “Everything All The Time” to set the mood properly. Two hours later we pulled into Noblesville, still blasting Band of Horses. Things had changed though. The sky in the west had gone from being a beautiful blue to a bruised-looking purple color. All day I was worried about the weather. And Mother Nature sure didn’t disappoint.
After getting in line and finding a nice place on the lawn, Jodi and I sat talking and anticipating what we were to hear that night. What would BoH play? Would they play a bunch of new stuff, would they stick to the time-tested material from the previous albums? Who knew? The more we talked about it, the more our anticipation built. We acted like the corniest fans, to be honest–singing Band of Horses songs together on the lawn and talking about all the great times we’ve shared listening to their music.
All the while, the sky in the west grew darker and darker, until you couldn’t tell anymore if the sun was setting or if the weather was simply that ominous. We were pretty oblivious to it–why would nature turn against us on such an important day?
And then the unthinkable happened. A man came through the P.A. and announced that the show was being posponed. Oh, no.
We were asked to return to the safety of our cars so as not to expose ourselves to lightning and hail while sitting out in the lawn. On the way to the Blazer, Jodi and I asked at least two members of the venue’s staff if Band of Horses would still play. They really did their best to be helpful (honestly, they were some of the coolest staff/security I’ve come across in my musical journies), but couldn’t tell us for sure if BoH would still play. They explained that Pearl Jam would still be playing their full set, but that noise curfews might necessitate having Band of Horses not play in order to allow Pearl Jam the time to play their whole set.
While I can understand that, and was still looking forward to seeing Pearl Jam, I was nonetheless disappointed.
So Jodi and I returned to the Blazer, listening to the radio station the nice folks from the venue said would announce when the gates re-opened to let people in. And then it began to rain, not steadily, but brief, very-heavy downpours that contained some of the hugest raindrops I can recall. Lightning flashed and thunder cracked. It was not looking promising.
But then, the rain began to subside. The sky went from looking like it might give birth to a monster tornado to something more like the color of cobalt. And wouldn’t you know, the rain actually stopped. A few moments later the radio station we were listening to actually interrupted their programming to let everyone know they could return to the venue.
Jodi and I were elated. It hadn’t been a huge delay, and it seemed reasonable that Band of Horses would still be able to play their set. We got back in line again, happy to be there, really. And then it began to rain again, this time a proper downpour. Jodi and I werre soaked, but still praying that Band of Horses hadn’t been cancelled completely. Eventually we made it, soaking wet, into the venue and started making our way to the lawn. As we made our way around the stage I kept trying to steal glances at the stage, to see if Creighton’s drumset was still there. Before I could even get a glance, though, we both heard the first distinctive notes of “Compliments” echo from the P.A.
We literally ran the rest of the way back to the lawn, probably being a little more pushy then might be considered appropriate. It 
wasn’t to be inconsiderate, I assure you. It was pure excitement, and, I dare say, not even a conscious decision to literally run through the crowd.
We finally made it to a good spot on the lawn and settled in. WE WERE HERE!
The band ripped through “Compliments” flawlessly. At that point Ben picked up his tambourine and a drumstick, and from watching so many YouTube videos, I knew we were about to hear “The General Specific,” which Jodi and I share as our favorite Band of Horses song. Still sopping wet, we sang along with every word. It was great.
I know I’m not really doing a “review” here, so I’ll try. Suffice to say the band played flawlessly and with great energy and stage presence. Their performance alone made the entire adventure Jodi and I’d had leading up to it more than worth the discomfort of being wet and pretty cold. Even as a fan, it was thirty times more than I’d expected it to be. The whole band seemed to be having the time of their lives up there on stage, and it really came across in the music.
Also worth noting, Ben has an incredible stage presence. He is very obviously taking great pleasure from what he does, a characteristic that seems all too rare in the musical scene of today. He reinforces it (as does the rest of the band) in how he performs. His vocals were…well, stellar is the first word that comes to mind, but it seems lacking, in a way. I mean, in an age of hard-tuned vocals and not so subtle “fixes” on studio records, it is refreshing to see someone get up there who really has a voice. Not to not give credit though: Ryan absolutely rips at backing vocals, as does Tyler.
So, was this a religious experience? Well, we went on a journey, were tormented both physically (the rain) and mentally (thinking for at least a little while that Band of Horses might not play). When we toughed it out and had a little blind faith, we were rewarded with a mindblowing display of musicianship.
….You tell me if that’s religious.
Here’s the setlist:
Compliments
The General Specific
No One’s Gonna Love You
The Funeral
Detlef Schrempf
Am I A Good Man
Edit: 8 May 10 @ 3:56 PM
If you want to check out some more pics from the concert, click here. Special thanks to Adam for sharing!