Eager to see Margot and the Nuclear So and So's after their recent album release, Buzzard, people packed into The Bishop, filling the already intimate space from wall to wall.
The show started off right with the energetic rock tunes of Cameron McGill & What Army. From the band's versatility of style to the vocal falsetto and harmonic "oohs," their set held everyone's interest. The band's sincere appreciation for the crowd's attention was the icing on the cake to a well-done opening act, making it obvious the Cameron McGill & What Army enjoyed every minute of being on stage. I was impressed.
As much as I enjoyed the first set, The Lonely Forest's performance ruined it for me. This rock band's set was about as generic as it gets. With over-privileged rock star attitudes, the band's music seemed less important to them than the way they looked onstage. Playing through several mediocre songs about drugs and love, each member took his turn at several rehearsed jump kicks that Weezer made so famous. By the end of their set, I was ready for the real show to begin.
I have to admit I was a little nervous. I had listened to the new album several times and liked it more than I originally anticipated, but I knew that not all fans were as accepting of Margot's new found identity. While there was tension between the stage and the audience, the show was about the music, not the controversy over Margot's discography.
Smoothly transitioning between new tunes and old favorites, the band never missed a beat. Without Margot's traditional orchestra-inspired arrangement, songs like "A Children's Crusade on Acid" took on Buzzard's edgier sound. However, Erik Kang's skillful performance on both the lap steel guitar and the violin brought back their signature dreamy sound.
With a mix of heavy electric guitar riffs and drums on "Let's Paint Our Teeth Green", and simple acoustic and lap steel guitar for "Broadripple is Burning," the show was a balancing act between the two styles. Regardless, the fans ate it up. Singing along to every word (or at least trying to remember the words to "New York City Hotel Blues"), the crowd seemed to rediscover the music that they fell in love with once before, while also uncovering the intricacies of darkly paranoid, Buzzard.
-Laura Sibley
