In April, my travels for work once again afforded me the opportunity to see great live music in new environs. This time I was in Tucson, AZ for the world’s largest Search and Rescue exercise called Angel Thunder. Once settled into my hotel room in a new city, I typically spend some time digging through the local free newspaper and perusing the internet to see what shows might be coming up during my stay. Two shows immediately caught my attention… Yeasayer at the famous Hotel Congress, and the Avett Brothers a week later at the Rialto Theater across the street from the Congress.
I have seen several shows in Tucson before, and spent a weekend covering the Gem and Jam festival that coincides with the annual Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, but I had still not seen a show at the Congress. The Congress Hotel was built in 1919 and is famous as the site where ruthless bankrobber, John Dillinger, was captured by local police in January1934, only to escape again before eventually being shot dead in Chicago few months later. Like so much in Tucson, the hotel and venue strike a nice balance between historic roots and modern cool. Since it’s opening in 1985 the Club Congress venue has earned a reputation as one of the best club/venues in Tucson and the country.
I think the beauty of seeing a show in a town like Tucson, is that if your timing is right, you stand a good chance of seeing a great band in a quaint venue that would otherwise be sold-out in NY or LA. Such was the case for Yeasayer. When we arrived, a modest line wound it’s way through the hotel lobby to the entrance of the club. The crowd had a notably bohemian-hipster-cowboy vibe that was particularly intriguing to my British friend who I had brought to the show. Two days earlier he was introduced to the awesomeness of the Cupid Shuffle, and the Cactus Moon Ladies Night $1000 Giveaway, and I think all the “Americana” was beginning to blow his mind a bit. Once inside we grabbed a couple “pints” from the vintage bar and settled in for the opening band, Warpaint. Out of LA, this all female band combined strong guitar rhythms, beautifully haunting vocal harmonies, and furious drums to fill the small space with a sound that wavered from eerily soft drone to heavy driving rock and back with an unusually natural flow.
In between sets, we grabbed two more pints, talked about how awesome Warpaint was, chased down their drummer in the Tap Room to buy a CD, and then jockeyed to the front of the crowd for Yeasayer’s set.
Yeasayer’s simple but modern stage/light set-up drew a stark contrast to the historic décor of the club. Their back-lit, color-changing keyboard pedestals and backdrops created a soft multicolor lighting that was stunning, though difficult to capture in the camera. We spent 3 songs up front (the crowd left a respectful 3-4 foot gap between them and the stage) and then retreated back to the bar, which faced the stage and had a giant elevated mirror which afforded a great view of the stage. I am not terribly familiar with Yeasayer’s music, and found that the songs I knew like “O.N.E” and “Ambling Alp”, I really liked, and the songs I was hearing for the first time did not really draw me in. There is no denying the creativity and quality of their music, but I think this show reinforced the notion for me that for most music, particularly keyboard/computer heavy music, a familiarity with the songs greatly improves the live experience. I think I’ve missed out by not having checked out Yeasayer earlier, and I look forward to digging in to their 2007 debut All Hour Cymbals and new release Odd Blood before definitely going to see them again.
