Spoon
Date: June 5, 2005 Slay on Cue A weekend Toronto trip gave me my first chance to see Spoon live; and I have to say that they lived up to their impressive catalogue. They wasted no time during an inspired set, laying down one infectious song after another, with every hook sounding great. The night began on a tepid note, as The Clientele failed to generate excitement with their warm-up slot. Although frontman Alasdair MacLean delivered some decent jangly guitar work, the overall sound was restrained to the point of boredom, a flaw that was magnified by the similarity of the songs. Fortunately, the night turned around from the moment that Spoon took the stage, opening with the swaggering "The Beast and Dragon, Adored," from their latest disc, Gimme Fiction. Singer/guitarist Britt Daniel was a definite focal point, towering in front of his band and frequently breaking into a shuffling dance, as demonstrated during the instrumental stretches of "I Turn My Camera On." Even if his voice did not always match the high notes heard on album, his delivery was always strong. However, with the restrained mixing of the vocals left them sometimes acting as just another instrument, resulting in a wall of sound that afforded prominence to each player. The group cohesion was also clear from the band's interactions. While Britt was the most engaging towards the audience, the entire band was clearly enjoying their time on stage. Bassist Joshua Zarbo and drummer Jim Eno shared numerous laughs; and Britt often turned to deliver his solos facing his bandmates. The new album was well represented, with songs such as "The Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine," "Sister Jack," and "I Summon You" finding a slot in the set. Older highlights included "Small Stakes," "The Way We Get By," "Paper Tiger," "Someone Something," "Everything Hits at Once," "Me and the Bean," "Lines in the Suit," "The Fitted Shirt," and "Anything You Want." Despite the oppressive heat, which led to Britt comically declining a portable fan that a crew member brought on stage, Spoon maintained a frantic pace throughout the night, hardly pausing until "My Mathematical Mind" closed the set, leading to an encore of "Metal Detektor" and "Jonathon Fisk." Spoon's visit to the Opera House cemented my strong opinion of the group. Although I was late in discovering the band, a setlist that drew generously from the past three albums offered me an opportunity to experience a lot of older material, alongside the strength of Gimme Fiction. Most of all, Spoon's fantastic pacing, faultless energy, and infectious fun made for an irresistible concert experience. <--Prev (Bright Eyes) | Next (Neko Case)-->Return to Concert ListReturn to Main Page |