Palace of Fine Arts
I’ve only been to the Palace of Fine Arts once to see and act and that was this year’s Jonsi tour. I was beyond impressed with the atmosphere, cleanliness, and sophistication of the venue as well as the near perfect sound. So you can image my excitement to witness The Books perform at this very unique and prestigious venue.
The Black Heart Procession
The Black Heart Procession
Opening this tour were fellow Temporary Residence label-mates Black Heart Procession. Singer/guitarist/singing-saw player Pall Jenkins and multi-instrumentalist Tobias Nathaniel entered the stage with a projection screen displaying various clocks as they begin to play a handful of slow moving and bleak songs from their extensive catalogue. Further into the set, the projections displayed a slew of darkly religious images and slightly humorous pictures of vampires and other weird themes. This meshed well with the shadowing force of The Black Heart Procession’s haunting and droning sound that captured the ears of a few, but might might have bored others to tears. Each song was laced with minimalistic instrumentation that set a very creepy atmosphere combined with the bizarre images, but it could be argued that each song sounded the same and was so mellow that it would be difficult to stay awake (in their defense, the Palace of Fine Arts seats are quite comfy). Overall they played their part well and were a worthy opener.
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[mp3] The Black Heart Procession – Rats from Six (2009)
The Books
The Books
The Books
The Books
The band played the crowd favorite Tokyo with new addition Gene Back, a phenomenal guitarist who was able to replicate some of the sounds that the duo had previously been unable to perform live. This was which apparently the first time they have ever played this on tour (which is rare on it’s own). Despite the fact that all three members remained stationary, you felt like all your senses were being exercised and stimulated. I was never bored or exhausted, I was instead joyed and humored by the utter absurdity of the projections, samples, and experience of it all. One highlight was the story behind the song A Cold Freezin’ Night (featured on this year’s The Way Out, also one of my favorite songs of the year), which featured samples of kids talking on Talkboys saying some pretty insane things (“I’m going to kill you with a rifle!”). All the while the projector flashed vintage footage of summer camp. After a three song encore, they closed with a sweet and moving rendition of Nick Drake’s Cello Song, one of my favorite songs by him.
I can safely say that this was one of, if not the best concert I’ve been to all year. It was pleasantly memorable, inspiringly creative, and sonically and visually exhilarating. I cannot recommend them enough. This tour is a not to be missed.
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[mp3] The Books – A Cold Freezin’ Night from The Way Out (2010)
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[mp3] The Books – Beautiful People from The Way Out (2010)
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