LIVE REVIEW: Destroyer @ The Fillmore, SF 6/5/12

Dan Bejar (aka Destroyer) is what we expect an artist to be. He’s romantically bohemian, defiant, proud, and if he wasn’t so talented it would be easy to write him off as a cliche. As he showed at The Filmore in San Francisco last Tuesday night, Bejar is not only an enormously gifted singer/songwriter, but can effortlessly control the room.

Bejar’s got a huge mop of black curly hair, a big beard, and hit the stage dressed in wrinkled khakis and a crumpled polo oxford looking incredibly bored. Bejar doesn’t need to impress you. He’s cooler than you are, and he let it be known right away as the band broke into “Rubies” off of the excellent LP Destroyer’s Rubies. It was a jazzy, free flowing number that allowed the trumpet and saxophone players to shine. Bejar doesn’t play an instrument on stage, and when he’s not singing, he chooses to kneel, takes a drink of his beverage, and hangs out. He doesn’t want his presence to distract from the band (every player was exceptional). Songs from last year’s break out Kaputt dominated the set. “Savage Night at the Opera,” “Chinatown,” and “Downtown” created a melo disco vibe (in a relaxed way, the best way) at The Filmore that we haven’t experienced before. Bejar’s cool was infectious and the crowd grooved along with him and his band. During a lull in the set, audience members shouted out requests “Notorious Lightening,” “Bay of Pigs!” Unsurprisingly, Dan did not comply. He doesn’t need to impress you. He’s cooler than you are, and knows what songs should be played.

Click here for more photos of Destroyer at The Fillmore.