real perty photo by sokane1New York Magazine had it's 40th birthday on Thursday, and since magazines can't buy porches, they throw badass parties instead. Stella opened with some particularly hilarious banter, and then Grizzly Bear took the stage, using the Hammerstein's legendary reverb to their advantage. Their set list was fairly similar to All Points West, but between the acoustics, the light show, and the fact that I wasn't on my lonesome, this one proved to be an even more enjoyable performance. Of particular note were the new songs "Two Weeks", "While You Wait For The Others", and the lesser known "Fine For Now", a lovely little Dan tune with Ed accompanyment. Kinda makes you forget about all that Dan/Ed squabble nonsense.
Despite their plethora of New York dates these past few years, I'd never gotten the chance to see The National, a fact I began to regret about one minute into their first song. With a Springsteen-esque mix of heartfelt sincerity and stadium rocking bombast, they far exceeded my expectations, thanks largely in part to a gorgeous horn section (basoon included). Part way through their set, The National lead singer Matt Berninger told the audience that this would be their last show for a long while, as the band was preparing to go make another record (cue cheers and applause). When they get back, make sure to get the first ticket... you won't regret it.
Here's a super neat video of Friend standout "Deep Blue Sea" being sung by the sea, as well as the mp3 of new Grizz song"Two Weeks", perhaps my favorite song of the year. For National lovers, a fittingly moody Vincent Moon video of "Baby We'll Be Fine", dedicated to all those poor stock brokers out there.
Grizzly Bear - "Two Weeks (Live on David Letterman"
