Krannert needs to stop having rock shows. None of the halls are suited to them. Aside from the terrible mix, I can't think of a better example than when Matt Berninger, in the midst of the standard Mr. November crowd-excusion, attempted to walk on the cushy seats in Tryon and nearly fell over. The several hundred empty seats didn't help, but it was nice when Berninger invited the balcony crowd down into the front. While it was an awkward setting, the show overall was great. The band mentioned several times that this was their last show before a long break, and they played a long, jammy set with a handful of new songs alongside fan-favorites like Mistaken For Strangers and Fake Empire (easily the highlight of the show). While it was an excellent, fun show, this was probably the worst performance I saw at Ellnora this year.
Friday night, something far more interesting was going on: The Long Count. With 3/5ths of the National, Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond), Kelley Deal, and an extremely skinny Kim Deal (seriously, I didn't recognize her), I would have expected the music to be firmly grounded in indie rock, but instead we got something closer to a Phillip Glass opera. The stage setup was slightly cheesy (mirrors on the floor and fake rocks...really guys?), but it actually provided a pretty decent counterpoint to the music, distracting from the actual performers and creating a blurred aesthetic that matched the shifting, disorienting music. The baseball-themed vocal loops and minimalist orchestration clearly took inspiration from minimalist composers such as Reich, Glass, and Partch, with a few elements borrowed from contemporary avant-garde, such as Kim Deal beating a heavily distorted violin into submission during one of her vocal features. Speaking of which, lets talk about Shara Worden. That woman can sing! Her expansive, soaring voice filled the tiny Colwell Playhouse to the brim during her two arias, which were definitely the best parts of the performance. The Bjork-caliber feathered headdress she wore wasn't even needed.
Friday night, something far more interesting was going on: The Long Count. With 3/5ths of the National, Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond), Kelley Deal, and an extremely skinny Kim Deal (seriously, I didn't recognize her), I would have expected the music to be firmly grounded in indie rock, but instead we got something closer to a Phillip Glass opera. The stage setup was slightly cheesy (mirrors on the floor and fake rocks...really guys?), but it actually provided a pretty decent counterpoint to the music, distracting from the actual performers and creating a blurred aesthetic that matched the shifting, disorienting music. The baseball-themed vocal loops and minimalist orchestration clearly took inspiration from minimalist composers such as Reich, Glass, and Partch, with a few elements borrowed from contemporary avant-garde, such as Kim Deal beating a heavily distorted violin into submission during one of her vocal features. Speaking of which, lets talk about Shara Worden. That woman can sing! Her expansive, soaring voice filled the tiny Colwell Playhouse to the brim during her two arias, which were definitely the best parts of the performance. The Bjork-caliber feathered headdress she wore wasn't even needed.
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