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[review]
from
http://www.synthesis.net/music/story.php?type=story&id=4162
Rilo Kiley, Mike Bloom & Vagtown 2000
Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco, CA
Vagtown 2000 kicked off the evening, and though her performance
wasn’t the most riveting, it established the mood of what was to follow.
Occasionally accompanied by electric guitar, bass, harmonica, finger
snaps and keyboards (provided by a host of others including Rilo Kiley’s
Jenny Lewis), Vagtown 2000’s only constant was one woman with an
acoustic guitar. Her stage presence was as fragile as her voice, which
did shatter from time to time, but was capable of producing some
beautiful, delicate sounds. The large crowd obviously intimidated the
performer, who seemed rather nervous between songs, but the large, early
arriving audience did their best to make her feel comfortable — both
highly attentive and receptive — and by the end, Vagtown 2000 was
performing to a large room full of friends instead of strange faces.
The acoustic folk pop tone carried over to the next performer, Mike
Bloom, who appears on Blake Sennett’s side project, The Elected, and is
also Rilo Kiley’s newest member. Bloom proved to be a far more confident
performer and a very dexterous guitar player. Sennett made frequent
appearances, and Rilo Kiley drummer Jason Boesel also lent his talents
to a song, but Bloom seemed just as adept on stage when performing solo.
His quiet songs weren’t particularly remarkable, but he played them with
a lot of heart, and his dry wit was inviting.
Toward the end of Bloom’s set, it seemed the crowd was becoming a bit
anxious. The room was now pushing the limits of its capacity. By the
time Rilo Kiley took the stage, anticipation, expectations and room
temperatures were running high, and floor space was at a premium.
Luckily, the evening’s headliner took the stage after a refreshingly
short set break and began with a familiar number, “With Arms
Outstretched,” from The Execution of All Things. A fitting beginning to
their set, the barrier between band and audience was instantly blurred.
Led by Lewis, the crowd became a choir, singing the sweetly nostalgic
lyrics and clapping their hands in unison. From there, Rilo Kiley could
do no wrong. Seeming like a completely different entity than the
harmless, country-infused indie pop group that appears on their albums,
Rilo Kiley’s set was nothing short of powerful, fueled by surprising
rock ‘n’ roll intensity. Lewis commanded the stage with a raw, moving
voice and equal measures of calm confidence and humility. Sennett
provided a breathless, frantic counterpoint, literally throwing himself
into his guitar playing (and around the stage). But while the group’s
co-founders and co-songwriters took much of the attention — and
rightfully so — the rhythms laid down by Boesel and bassist Pierre de
Reeder lent the songs their undeniable anthemic energy.
As a one-off date before they take the road to support their upcoming
album, More Adventurous, this show seemed like more of an opportunity to
test out their new material in the live setting. New songs were slipped
in between Rilo Kiley’s more familiar works; the reactions were
tentative at first but heads were nodding in approval before the end,
especially for “It’s a Hit” and “Portions of Foxes.”
Perfectly suited for such an intimate venue, the entire show had a
genial and sometimes raucous feel among the crowd and among three acts,
who all shared members. With performances like this, Rilo Kiley could be
on the fast track to becoming a must-see live act for indie aficionados.
If you missed out on this one, fear not. Rilo Kiley is scheduled to play
two shows in San Francisco between now and late September, and it should
be worth the trip.
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