Concert a Day… Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Last night was concert #2 of 5 for the week.  I was a little tired this morning, and the idea of going to see another show tonight is tiring, too.  But the show must go on, and I’ll be there to see tonight’s at Variety Playhouse (Brandi Carlile, with Ari Hest).  Here’s some thoughts on last night, though:

Concert 2: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, with Elvis Perkins in Dearland

I’ve seen both CYHSY and Elvis Perkins in concert before, but was curious to hear them both perform new material (both are also former Paste 4 to Watch artists). I also had a recent dream about CYHSY that freaked me out and I felt like I owed it to myself to see them in person.

I must admit that CYHSY’s sophomore effort, Some Loud Thunder, did not wow me like their debut did, but I suppose its hard to top such a unique effort.  But having seen CYHSY perform before at both a dive bar and a large festival, I expected an excellent show.

Since last we met in September, Elvis Perkins has added “in Dearland” to his band name, adding fuel to the “Year of the De(e/a)r” debate (I direct you to my previous post for more details and a Venn diagram).  But unfortunately I did not get to see how that translated on stage because my friends and I arrived at Variety Playhouse just after the set ended.  As the staff turned over the stage to prepare for CYHSY, we loitered in the lobby, stood in long beer lines, and pondered whether or not to buy t-shirts before the show (and hold them during the concert) or after (and risk longer lines at the merch table).

It was a young crowd for a Wednesday night.  I recognized a number of students—including former and current interns—in the venue, but was surprised also to see Baby Boomers with Michelob Ultras in hand, mingling and fighting their way towards the stage.

CYHSY took the stage looking much like people you’d want to be friends with, waving happily (and modestly) to the crowd.  Saving us their banter, the band opened immediately with material from Some Loud Thunder, including crowd-favorite “Satan Said Dance,” and even threw in a brand new song.  Frontman Alec Ounsworth then greeted the audience and asked for the house lights to be raised so he could see everyone.  When they went back down, he asked if they could stay up all night.  The venue did not oblige.  The band also wanted to keep the blue stage lights on throughout the evening, a request that the venue did accommodate. 

Perhaps hearing an audience member yell out a request for ska, Ounsworth said the band would next play “Yankee Go Home, the ska version,” before realizing that he’d misread the playlist and “Love [Song No. 7]” was actually next—“the ska version” (i.e. the same-as-the-album-but-live version).

As I’d hoped, the new songs from Some Loud Thunder translated much better in a live setting than they do on CD (but that is just one girl’s opinion).  I was not disappointed by the familiar tunes from the band’s self-titled debut, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, including “Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth,” though some of the mixing throughout the set sounded off, which makes it all the more difficult to understand the garbled lyrics of Ounsworth… a megaphone to the mic did not help that situation either.

When the band left the stage to applause, a runner came on stage to tune a guitar.  That always peeves me—bands should at least pretend that they aren’t expecting it if they are going to come back on for an encore.  But the encore was nonetheless welcomed.

It was a late night, but I’m glad I got to be there when CYHSY performed “Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood” so I could sing along to some of my favorite lyrics of recent times.

I know that our trusty intern, Val, has a better story than me from the show, which I’m sure she’ll post here… Val, just know that once upon a time, CYHSY gave me a pack of Starbursts because they found out I liked them… not that I’m trying to one-up you or anything…

Up next… Concert 3: Brandi Carlile, with Ari Hest at Variety Playhouse 4/19/07