My colleague Jess already offered her take on Sleigh Bells, so I’ll cover last night’s headliner Yeasayer. The last time I saw Yeasayer live was they opened for The National back in August 2008 at Central Park Summerstage. The band has come a long way since then, filling out their sound and coming out with their decidedly more dance-pop album Odd Blood. I was very excited to see how their live show had evolved over the last couple of years, and from the moment they took the stage and launched into the slow-burn groove of “The Children” (also Track 1 on the new album), they did not disappoint.
The packed crowd on the floor of Webster Hall was very amped up as they continued the set. With two solid albums to work with, the night turned into a sing-a-long of hits, both from All Hour Cymbals and Odd Blood. I was very pleased when they pulled out “2080,” which the song that originally got me into them and still brings me back to the summer of 2008 (while making me think about the impending apocalypse).
The vibe really picked up when the giant disco ball over head started spinning and the band started playing their newest, “danciest” single “O.N.E.” Frontman Chris Keating prefaced the song with “This is a new one” but you could tell that there were some people in the crowd who were waiting for this song and really went crazy when it started.
As the band mentioned several times during the show, they were back home in NYC after months on the road. They took advantage of the hometown crowd love and put on a wholly satisfying show.
-MW
