The last time I saw Andrew Bird, it was 2006. He was a timid presence, alone on a Lollapalooza stage. The delicate nature of Bird’s music was lost in Chicago’s Grant Park – a venue better suited for performers such as the Flaming Lips, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Kanye West. Even as a fan of his music, I was disappointed.
I was also skeptical that Bird could command a venue as large as the Riverside Theater, and his set last Saturday started out much the same: a man, some instruments and loop creation. Opening song “Carrion Suite” is a meandering track from the instrumental companion to 2009’s Noble Beast called Useless Creatures. Although it felt similar to his earlier, simpler shows, the stage – a notable departure with a spinning double gramophone, choreographed lights and hanging decoration – hinted to the audience that something bigger was in the works.
And it certainly was.
At the end of the opener, Bird was joined by his ensemble: drummer Martin Dosh, guitarist Jeremy Ylvisaker and bassist Alan Hampton. While the additional musicians added more depth to the already layered compositions, Bird held his own, his violin playing the focus throughout. Looking infinitely more comfortable than the previous time I saw him, he swayed his head to the music, punctuated his often obtuse lyrics with hand gestures and cracked jokes between songs.
The strongest part of the show was a four-song sequence of “Plasticities,” “Fatal Shore,” “Tables and Chairs” and “Fake Palindromes” that closed out the main set. The band added new energy to older songs such as “Tables and Chairs” and “Fake Palindromes,” which are more subdued on 2005’s The Mysterious Production of Eggs. Bird rocked back and forth with the sweeping violin arrangement. It was a vigor absent from some of the other songs in the setlist. As the band quickly exited stage right, the crowd stood, cheered and waited for the inevitable.
The band returned and played an acoustic two-song encore of “So Much Wine” by The Handsome Family and “I’m Goin’ Home” by Charley Patton. It was a nice play off the earlier three-song acoustic section, which Bird referred to as “old timey,” where the musicians huddled together for a cover of Townes Van Zandt’s “If I Needed You” and Bird’s “Give It Away” and “Effigy.” After the energy created by Bird’s pre-encore originals, however, the encore felt flat.
As a reminder to never leave until the house lights go on, Bird returned to the stage alone and ended the show as he began it. Perhaps an unconventional approach, Bird played the subtle “Weather Systems” off the 2003 album of the same name. Although neither encore reached the energy level of the songs immediately before, “Weather Systems” brought the show full circle and focused on the most important component of the music: a man and some damn good violin playing.
Photo by CJ Foeckler
