My ears are still ringing as I write this, but it was so worth it. The Walkmen hit San Francisco Monday night on the first of two shows at the legendary GAMH. I was tempted to go to the second show but I'm sure it would have done some permanent damage to my hearing. I should have known, as I stared around at the audience - mostly comprised of twenty somethings with earplugs - that it was going to hurt. I'm old school. I don't need no stinking earplugs. Now, their keyboard and guitars will live on in my ears for the rest of my days.
The show opened with "All Hands and the Cook" which my photographer uncannily called out would be the first song. The song starts with a rolling organ and a guitar and Hamilton Liethauser screaming like a young Bob Dylan, "Work all day, go out at night. Lay around. Can I help it?" The song picked up ridiculous energy as it moved through its subtle peaks and valleys. Next was "Little House of Savages," which brought the crowd from a six to a nine. SF indie rock crowds are usually pretty subdued, but the Walkmen are so loud and visceral, that it makes it tough not to move around.
 The new album A Hundred Miles Off has been out for less than a month, so the songs on the record have not had a chance to resonate with the audience in the same way 2004's now classic Bows + Arrows or 2002's Everyone who Pretended to Like Me is Gone did. But it never felt as if the band lost the audience at any point, which would be a good indicator that the music is solid. A Hundred Miles Off is great, but could benefit from the tracks being re-ordered (if you have iTunes order the tracks alphabetically and you'll see what I mean). In my opinion, the track "Louisiana" throws the whole album off because the tone is so much lighter than the rest of the album. It's almost as if the album goes into a dark cave after that song. (It should start in the cave and move to the light.) The aforementioned track closed the first set, playing very well in a live setting - certainly one of the highlights of the night. The members of Mazarin (the very excellent opening act) pitched in to play the horn section. Other highlights included: "The Rat," "Wake Up," "That's the Punchline," "What's in it for Me?" and "Thinking of a Dream I Had," which almost peeled the paint off the walls. The band closed with the classic, "We've Been Had" with its dueling old time pianos. It was an excellent show, and I may never hear the same again, but it was worth it.
- Jeff Bracco
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Saturday, February 13, 2010
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