(words by dave, pics by jodi ann)

Even though this was our first full-length Band of Horses concert, Jodi and I have been to a couple of other concerts in our eight years together.  Something we’ve learned in that time is that it’s always best to show up pretty early to shows with a “general admission” seating arrangement.  We once showed up a little over ten hours early to a Nine Inch Nails concert and were still forty or fifty people back in line, so it came as some surprise to us that when we showed up a mere six hours early for the Band of Horses show, we were the only ones there!

So, we spent the day outside the War Memorial Auditorium, sitting in the shade and admiring the stunning architecture that makes it up.  Aside from showing reverence to our surroundings, we also took in a couple episodes of Family Guy on YouTube

It was around two or three o’clock that we realized how much of a treat we were in for, having showed up early.  We got to listen to Band of Horses’ entire soundcheck from where we sat, just outside the doors of the auditorium.  We even got to hear at least one song they didn’t play during the actual show–bonus!  Since we were the only ones there for most of soundcheck, it was like getting our own little private show courtesy of our favorite band!

When the doors finally opened, Jodi and I started to realize just how special of an evening we were in for.  We found our places at the stage, literally leaning our arms on the stage since there was no photo pit or barricade of any sort between the stage and the fans.  I’ve never seen that at a show before.

After a while, the lights dimmed.  The show was beginning!

The supporting act, Bryan Cates, was amazing.  He plays in a genre that cannot be simply categorized, if that makes any sense.  He walks the same line between alternative and country that Band of Horses does, and also adds some reggae-like flourishes in for good measure (see “I Don’t Wanna Be A Lawman”).  His voice, in the humble opinion of this blogger, harkens back to David Lowery of Cracker (minus the sinusy nasalities).  Bryan and company’s performance was absolutely spot-on–accompanied by an endearing kind of nervousness that I’m sure goes along with any band playing the first of many stops on-tour.    You would do well for yourself to check these guys out–I’m sure they’re going to be coming to a label near you sometime soon!

After Bryan left the stage, the crew began changing out sets.  It dawned on me just how close Jodi and I were going to be when a crew member set a mic stand and a pedal steel guitar within two feet of where I was standing.  I turned to Jodi, wide-eyed and smiling, and put it as succinctly as I could:  “Holy shit!”  After a short wait, Joe Walsh’s “Rocky Mountain Way” began blaring through the P.A., the entire crowd singing along.

Ben, Tyler, and Ryan took the stage, the crowd cheering them on.  Ben opened the show by saying “We’re going to start kinda slow and see if muscle memory takes over,” just before moving into a gorgeous rendition of “Infinite Arms.”  We were treated to the first verse twice as Ben worked out a couple lyrical kinks, but no one in the crowd seemed to mind getting an extended version of their latest albums’ title track.

…And that was the softest music we would get for eight songs.

What happened next was something of immense awesomeness.  Ryan left the stage, as Ben and Tyler moved into their amazing stripped-down version of “Ode to LRC” (see the Black Cab Session if you’re not sure what I mean).   As Ben sang “a town so small” the rest of the band came on-stage, waited for him to finish the first chorus, and then launched into the loudest, most badass, un-stripped-down version of the song you could possibly imagine.  I couldn’t imagine a better way to pump up a crowd!

Things continued very much in that vain for the next several songs, the crowd singing along, the band feeding off the crowds’ energy at every turn.  From my vantage point, about two inches from stage, it was impossible not to see how much fun the band was having, literally every member smiling and interacting through each song.

I think I also witnessed the first and only time Ben ever dedicated a song to rapper Nelly when he introduced “Islands On The Coast” by saying “It is getting fuckin’ hot in here….So take off all your clothes.  I am getting so hot I’m about to take my clothes off–this next song goes out to Nelly.”

The entire time you could see the guys were having an enormous, barely-legal amount of fun, which really translated into an epic show for the crowd.  Whatever kinks needed to be worked out after being on break for a couple weeks were done so very early on, and the show was spot-on in every way.  Being in an amazing venue really contributed to that as well, with the grandeur of the War Memorial Auditorium serving as a backdrop to the whole affair.

After twenty songs and a rendition of “Happy Birthday” to a fan in the crowd, Jodi and I ventured back outside.  With our ears ringing, we knew we had just seen something incredibly special.

I can’t put into words here how much we enjoyed the show.  To say it was amazing would be an understatement.  Band of Horses are incredible musicians, and incredibly entertaining showmen.  They kept the crowd engaged the entire show through, and left us all with the sense that we had seen something utterly unique in the current world of music.  As was the case the last time we saw them, it was more than I’d ever expected it to be, which I take as further evidence that the band is really moving into their own insofar as playing live–a journey I’ve been witness to since I started this site.

You need to go see these dudes play.  It is unlike anything else out there.  And, to be honest, I’m not even saying that as a fan of Band of Horses so much as I am saying it as a fan of music in general.  This band is unique in every sense of the word, combining incredible music with a stage presence that is simultaneously down-home and smack-you-in-the-face intense, and that’s something the world of music could use much more of.

I, for one, plan on seeing them at least two more times before the year is out.  I haven’t even gotten the tickets for those shows yet, but I already know my money is well-spent.

Hope you’re having an awesome day out there!

Soundcheck
Ode to LRC
NW. Apt (played twice)
The Great Salt Lake
Laredo
Blue Beard
Infinite Arms
Part One
A Song For You (Gram Parsons cover)

Setlist
Infinite Arms
Ode To LRC
The Great Salt Lake
Islands On The Coast
NW Apt.
Is There A Ghost
Laredo
Older
Marry Song
Compliments
The General Specific
No One’s Gonna Love You
Cigarettes, Wedding Bands
Wicked Gil
Happy Birthday
The Funeral

Encore:
Blue Beard
Factory
Weed Party
Monsters