Grizzly Bear @ The Wiltern, Los Angeles 6/19/09
Andrew Youssef
Although Trent Reznor's big-upped Grizzly Bear on his defunct (and now refunct) Twitter, he gave the soothing side of indie rock a big kiss in high profile print recently, telling Newsweek:
I saw Sufjan Stevens last year, and I was like, how is his singing that good? The band Grizzly Bear, I think they're excellent. There's a beauty and a musicality there that I wish would have been in vogue in the late '80s, when I was forming bands. The aesthetic I was tuned into was a more dumbed-down kind of thing. Sometimes listening to stuff like they're doing makes me feel irrelevant. That's a nice, healthy kick in the ass. And it's interesting to see there's room for that in what's considered hip these days.
A friend once told me that Trent's similar tweetment of the Horrors' new album gave their sales a massive surge; that said, it's not like you could find an available ticket to the Grizzly Bear/Here We Go Magic L.A. stop even before that Newsweek hit the stands. The slowly-crossing-over Brooklyn outfit is finishing a celebrated cross-country trek tonight in San Francisco, on the heels of last night's show at the Wiltern, Grizzly Bear's largest headlining venue yet. Opening was Luke Temple, whose Here We Go Magic is reportedly beginning to coalesce into a live outfit on par with its hypnotic and worthy debut LP. Thanks to photographer Andrew Youssef for bringing back these photos.
Posted at 5:18 PM by amrit in Concert, Photo
Tags: Grizzly Bear | Here We Go Magic
There he goes... reassuring me that he's an honest to god(ignore the irony) musician.
Score = 0
fuck this band.
Score = -13
Seems like the hipster backlash has begun.
Score = 1
this show was amazing. despite the fact that our seats were literally up against the back wall of the theater, this was one of the best shows ive been to. their timing was a little shaky, but the vocals, the lights, the percussion...incredible.
p.s. predictable joe, fuck off.
Score = 0
Killing it at the California shows. Only hearing amazing things. SEEING THEM TONIGHT! Hope they play he hit me
any set lists?
Score = 3
I concur. I was at the show, middle of general admission area near the floor - absolutely stunning. They exceeded my expectations wildly – and I'm already a big appreciator.
Score = 2
Veckatimest is slowly becoming my favorite album of the year. I can see how predictable Joe might be afraid of their music because it really takes several listens to appreciate it. It's not the type of music that one immediately falls in love with. If one is patient enough, the genius of this band will surely reveal itself. I'm doing the same thing with the new Peter, Bjorn & John LP... it's slowly growing on me as well.
Score = 0
Foreground is the best track of the year IMO.
Score = 3
Grizzly Bear is truly a great band. They are a very talented group of young men, in every sense of the phrase. They deserve all the success they have gotten, and will continue to get.
Score = 7
I was at this show! I was lucky enough to have gotten there early enough to have been one person away from the stage up front. They were just amazing, and I nearly died when they played the songs "Cheerleader", "Fine for Now" and "Two Weeks". They have a great new record out.
Score = 1
Grizzly Bear > Me
Score = 6
This band is definitely on the path to refining their talents and packaging it in an impressive, complex and yet easy to swallow presentation. I saw them in philly earlier this month and I can't remember a show that had that balance of fun and engrossment in a long time. I also saw them two years ago at the p4k fest, they weren't bad, but it is obvious how much they've grown and gelled in the past two years.
Score = 1
Sort of set list:
1. Southern Point
2. Lullabye
then Cheerleader, Fine for Now, Little Brother (AMAZING), Deep Blue Sea (dedicated to Wendy), While You Wait for the Others, Colorado, Foreground, I Live With You, and as an encore, Fix It. I really had to pee around the middle so I missed a couple. :(
Score = -1