San Francisco, CA
12 Galaxies
Thursday, April 7, 2005
* all photos copyright Alex Myers 2005 *
Absolutely nothing can prepare you for the thrill and insanity of seeing Andrew Bird play live. Here is a man who can strap a guitar across his back, pick up his battered violin, walk over to his glockenspiel, and oh yeah, start whistling like a UFO. His voice and his playing are truly otherworldly and his lyrics are equally haunting, capable of burrowing into your dreams and your subway transit rides. Nothing Andrew does is ordinary and I highly recommend his newest album, "The Mysterious Production of Eggs". The complexities of the album are just a starting point for him at a live show, as he'll pick up his violin and play an addictive little verse into a sequencer. Sometimes he'll loop it, adding layer after layer on every pass, then switching over to guitar. For this tour, drummer Kevin O'Donnell joined Andrew on many songs, adding texture and just the right kick of adrenaline on faster songs. By the end of a good one like "Fake Palindromes", we'd all forgotten that it was just two people on stage, overwhelming us with a continuously evolving bedrock of sound. I had a wonderful time at this show -- thank you, Andrew.
To hear a really good example of his style, listen to "A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to Left" -- here as an MP3 (link goes to Ekonomisk, his management company)
Andrew Bird, during the encore.
When he was looking for something specific, he'd pluck it out of the violin.
Playing with his guitar.
One of the best things about his show is the insane amount of energy and movement he brings to the stage. The ceiling was ridiculously low -- he actually smacked his bow into it during the first few songs, before he found ways to adjust. But I'd really like to see him perform under the stars, free to roam on a huge stage.
It was hard not to just outright stare.
At the Glockenspiel.
In the middle of the first song/intro, he kicked off his boots. He has all these tiny knobs and pedals and oh yeah, stripey socks.
During the last song, he sang and sang, clutching his guitar close like a lost lover.
Over and over, he'd just throw the guitar behind his back to play the violin. I tried not to pass out.
More information about the deliciously talented polymath Andrew Bird can be found at http://www.bowloffire.com
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