Band of Horses

Highlights from the Band of Horses concert. Rip, Rizzo, Whit, Kate, J, and Viwe all took in the show with The D Man as their shaman guide.

• "We're Band of Horses. And we're from America." Best greeting ever. Still pumps The D Man up.
• After declaring "this one will surprise you," Ben Bridwell and company opened with "The Great Salt Lake." As if that was not enough, the band ripped into "Is There A Ghost" for the 6-4-3 double-play. J commented that it may have been the best opening combination he'd ever seen, and who was The D Man to argue?
• The band refused to come down with ringing versions of "Weed Party," "Islands on the Coast," and "Ode to LRC."
• Bridwell mentioned that his voice had been struggling the past few days. But he said it was better to press on than cancel the show. Thank goodness. A few songs in he started to get into the groove, and by the time he hit open-throated anthems like "No One's Gonna Love You," he was in full stride.
• Ben put down his guitar and lit one up for the breezy lovelorn road-trip "Laredo." That decision was probably not going to help any voice problems, but he sure looked cool.
• Other set-list highlights included the large-sounding "Factory," the downright happy "Older," the rarely-played live "Dilly," and the guitar-heavy "Cigarettes, Wedding Bands."
• The look of the line-up is perfectly constructed for the band's sound and style. The two key characters, after Bridwell's rural hipster vibe, are easily Tyler Ramsey and Bill Reynolds. Tyler is a hulking but peaceful bearded giant, while Bill is Kip from Napolean Dynamite, complete with a foam hat, cut of t-shirt with impossibly skinny arms in tow, and a large feather hanging out of the end of his overwhelming bass guitar. Watching Bill make sweet love to his instrument was as entertaining as it gets.
• Torched a massive version of "The Funeral" right before the encore. One of the twenty best songs of the new millenium.
• The encore consisted of a bass-heavy "Our Swords," a swirling master-class "The First Song," and a delightful comedown "Monsters."
• Viwe Xozwa, my dear South African friend and longtime reader, enjoyed his first true American rock experience. He gave it a "7," which is high praise for someone who loves Janet Jackson, hails from KwaMagxaki, and clicks when he speaks.
• The band sounded expansive and clearly had a good time playing for the crowd. Just knowing that Band of Horses are on the road playing each night makes The D Man feel good. Three albums in, we are lucky to have them; a quintessential American band that successfully blurs the boundaries of indie-rock, folk, and country, and continually makes some of the best open-road music of our day.