Live Buzz bloggers Stefania Marghitu and Katie McKenna here. Get ready to hear all about an unforgettable Sunday night at the Bluebird. Photos by David Hassell.
Even the streets of Bloomington seemed tired and hung-over last Sunday as we headed down to the Bluebird to catch The Evangelicals and Sunset Rubdown. But we sure got rejuvenated.
Arriving at 8:30, we thought we were off to a late start, as the show was supposed to start at 9. Luckily, Sunset Rubdown is very particular about how their equipment is set up. The band had gotten there by about six, but they didn't go on until 11 ish.
The wait was well worth it though; the show was absolutely spectacular.
The Evangelicals', part of the Dead Oceans label, set was certainly rockin', but they knew how to win us over with a slow jam, too. Their vocals were a little hard to hear at first due to the loud petal distortion, but the show got progressively better.
The longer they played, the more emotion they showed. The lead singer's shoe started to come off so rather than fix it, he flung it off near the left side of the stage. They had a fog machine and towards the end of the show a strobe light beat on his face, accentuating his sweat and the veins popping out on his temples and forehead.
Then at last, Sunset Rubdown performed. We didn't think that they could possibly be any better than they were on their albums, but they proved us wrong. Our friend David Hassell told us that he thought Rubdown were much better live, but we didn't know what to expect. The sound was actually much cleaner and polished.
We think it had something to do with the intensity and collaboration transcending a lot better.
A lot of folks reminisced that night about Rubdown's last Bloomington performance, which was at the freezing April 2007 Culture Shock. We heard they were also very nit picky about setting up their instruments then.
They played one of Katie's favorite songs, "Shut Up I am Dreaming of Places Where Lover's Have Wings". The song is about seven minutes long and has a beautiful buildup, with powerful electric guitar and heavy drumming. It was very intense watching Spencer Krug, just inches away from us, jamming out on his piano. "The Mending of the Gown" was also a crowd pleaser.
Rubdown's fans had the great opportunity to serve as the band's guinea pigs for the evening. They played a few new songs for the crowd, including a not yet released Swan Lake cover. Krug even gave a shout out to Darius of Jagjaguwar.
Krug seemed very careful as to not brag about Rubdown's success. When he mentioned playing a song from Random Spirit Lover and got some applause, he wanted to imply that his only intention was to state a fact. He seemed pretty nervous in general. But Camilla Wynn Ingr, vocals/percussion seemed to balance his anxiety with her cool sense of humor.
During the set Spencer Krug passed out to the audience, three simple white notes with black writing on them.
The first one said, "Cameras steal souls--- pass it on." The second said, "Sarah Palin has lies for eyes."
Initially, Krug tried to make his political tendencies subtle, stating he and the rest of the band are from Canada and that they don't have much of a say in politics. Things got more intense though, with the note for example, and by the end of their set, Krug showed his Obama button to everyone.
The third and final note wrote, "Do you think you know the devil?"
As much as we could write about Rubdown's set, you'll have to see them for yourselves to fully understand.
Take it from us: it's an experience you don't want to miss.
