The New Pornographers
Date: July 16, 2006 It's Another Perfect Day A ten-day festival butting up against a heat wave makes for a war of attrition. For me, the casualties were the early slot bands. By Day 10 (another scorcher), I was content to just show up for two proven commodities: The New Pornographers and Controller.Controller. I'm sure that I missed a great number of sets that I would have also enjoyed, both this day and earlier in the festival; but ultimately, I was just happy to see The New Pornographers close Bluesfest with one of the top concerts of the entire run. Bluesfest marked the fifth time that I have seen Controller.Controller. I am always a fan of the group's sound and their on-stage effort but I think that this was not their best outing. The sound mix leaned too strongly into heaviness and distortion, at the expense of clarity. Controller.Controller is at their best when the heavy guitars bump against the dance sensibilities of their rhythm section, with Nirmala Basnayake's vocals bridging the two styles. On this evening, the dynamic was lost. Additionally, the band was a little off on their pacing, especially in the early portion of their set. Having said that, they still put in a solid effort on a sweltering stage. Even an imperfect Controller.Controller set is an enjoyable affair. Basnayake is always an affable frontwoman for the group; and it's no knock against her when I say that the best moment of the set came when another female vocalist took the stage and helped transform "Disco Blackout" into a duet. Despite the long pause between sets, a lot of people camped out in front of the Blacksheep Stage for the headlining act, which was a testament to the popularity of The New Pornographers. I had high hopes, as well, having been impressed by the band's opening slot on the last Belle and Sebastian tour. It turned out that this concert far surpassed that affair, as the band stepped up for their headlining role. One of the contributing factors in the improvement was Kathryn Calder, who seemed more confident, both on her breathtaking vocals and her banter with A.C. Newman. The New Pornographers have an amazing ability to be perfectly sharp in their playing, making the most of every hook and upswing of their ridiculously catchy songs, while also being completely casual and endearing between songs. Newman is certainly a joker and Calder makes a great foil for his comic asides, which keeps the mood as light and fun as you would hope for at the end of a great summer festival. As for the songs, the parade of gems well represented all of the group's albums, with the early focus resting on Twin Cinema. The title track and "Use It" started the concert, with "Jackie, Dressed in Cobras," "The Bleeding Heart Show," and "The Jessica Numbers" being played as a block early in the set. The older songs were equally effective, though, with "Mass Romantic," "Miss Teen Wordpower," and "It's Only Divine Right" among the highlights. I'm sure that the band could draw a setlist at random from their three fantastic albums and it would sound great; and this night flew by without a single misstep, peaking with a closing sequence of "From Blown Speakers," "The Slow Descent Into Alcoholism," and "Sing Me Spanish Techno." For the encore, the band entertained requests before settling on "All For Swinging You Around" and "Letter From An Occupant," bowing out on a high. After seeing Calexico play the Blacksheep Stage on the opening night of the festival, I wondered what band could top their performance. It seems fitting that the concert to equal that opener came in the form of the festival's closing act on that stage. Now I can only hope that Newman lives up to his teasing almost-promise to bring the band back for next year's festival. I'm sure that it would be another stellar experience. The New Pornographers setlist (courtesy the cooperation of a guy at the front): 
<--Prev (Wilco) | Next (Sunset Rubdown)-->Return to Concert ListReturn to Main Page |