The New Pornographers @ The Phoenix Concert Theatre

April 14th, 2008

Whatever the mess you are, you’re mine, okay. That is the custom. I’m down. So am I New Pornographers, so am I…As the line from Challengers so succinctly puts it, everyone is welcome in the world of The New Pornographers - everyone, from the bartender to the thief, the roadie to the railway worker, the country/folk fanatic to the guitar hero god. Such is one facet of the appeal for the distinctly Canadian band. Make no mistake, there are many - the honesty, the melodies, Neko Case, the wit, the no-bullshit-I’m-just-gonna-rock-ybou-I’m-Carl-Newman-watch-me-drop-your-jaw-factor, the undeniable feeling that they have seen and done things you get chills thinking about, and the band; the band who have members in so many other bands it must take a Paris Hiltonian staff of caretakers to ensure they end up at the same tour stop. Let me tell you this - they all made it to the Phoenix, and they did us all a very big favour.

Before I wax a little poetic on the freight train locomotion that is The New Pornographers, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the opening act, Okkervil River. The Texan collective were on point throughout, culminating with the rousing Unless It’s Kicks in front of a pretty much packed crowd. Okkervil River is definitely a band worth looking into if you like your Indie jaunty, creative, illuminating and intelligent.

There is no pomp and circumstance with The New Pornographers - they are a rock (country/folk/arty/Indie/pop/whatever else they want to be at any given moment) band that rocks - and how. There are no bells and whistles with their stage production, and this was evident from the jump off, with the band coming on stage in full view, getting behind or in front of their instruments/mics, and then taking flight. As ‘two chicks from the parking lot crack wise on the price of fame’, the New P’s Use It to smash reverie and merriment on the stage, throughout the crowd, and into the seats of the balcony. They have dabbled in different sounds over the course of their discography, so no one could have been left out in the cold with this set, save for maybe the homeless guy outside whom Neko admitted to being engaged to (tentatively?), but his heart was surely warmed from the mere thought of connecting with the beautiful and siren-voiced Case.

The band blasted through songs from every album - Mass Romantic (from Mass Romantic), The Laws Have Changed and Testament To Youth In Verse (from Electric Version), Stacked Crooked and Sing Me Spanish Techno (from Twin Cinema), along with All the Old Showstoppers and My Rights vs. Yours (from the indomitable and feisty Challengers). With so many classic tunes, there were bound to be some notable omissions, and regrettably for me, those included the awesome: Failsafe, Myriad Harbour, and Adventures In Solitude from Challengers, as well as the jai alai balls-to-the-wall pace of Your Daddy Don’t Know from the unforgettable ‘Fubar’ soundtrack/experience.

One does not get to Cloud # 9 if they can only count to 8, so instead of what was missing, I focused on what was there, and luckily I had several bone-chilling moments to speak for. Use It, and ESPECIALLY The Bleeding Heart Show and Challengers were absolutely monumental pieces of live art for me, and they have been ingrained in my psyche ever since. For me, they combine the best of The New P’s: they are honest songs, they are raw; they are homely tunes, they are pure; and probably most of all, they have melody and they have Neko…

One final anecdote to further cement their workmanlike and how-can-you-not-appreciate-these-guys status was the length of time it took them to come back on stage before the inevitable encore. I have never, I mean NEVER, in all my concert-going days seen a band take so little time to grab a bottle of water, beer, malt liquor, towel, banana, or fresh bandana. It was something that will make me want to come back and see The New Pornographers time and time again if life permits it (please do yourself a likewise favour). It was literally less than a minute wait, if at all. They valued our time - sans pretense, sans histrionics, and in turn, I value them even more. If that is the custom, I’m down…

Setlist:
?
Use It
The Electric Version
All The Old Showstoppers
The Bones of an Idol
My Rights vs. Yours
The Laws Have Changed
Stacked Crooked
Go Places
Twin Cinema
Challengers
Testament to Youth in Verse
Unguided
Mass Romantic
Sing Me Spanish Techno
The Bleeding Heart Show

Encore:
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The Slow Descent Into Alcoholism

Posted on Monday, April 14th, 2008 at 9:26 am by Paco G. and is filed under Concerts & Events.

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