The experience of live music is difficult to capture in words, you really have to had been there to experience it. Audio or video recordings can never convey the experience of being there and feeling it. Though it was a Saturday night, Mercury Rev were playing to a not quite sold out Paradiso. The venue was quieter than the last time I saw them play there quite few years back. This was pleasant as one did not have to fight for a space to stand and see the band, the joy of bands that are not hyped. This is a mature band with a great back catalog and on stage they are riveting.
Its sometimes nice to see a band live without having heard the latest material in advance. I had not heard their latest album, Snowflake Midnight, before the gig. Compared to their previous releases the new material was very bombastic live. Sharing a produced (Dave Feldman) with the Flaming Lips, on their latest albums they have a similar ethereal sound, though there is no mistaking that it is Mercury Rev.
The show was visually spectacular with the images being projected from the back of the hall onto a large screen behind the band. Along with some very nice animations were sound bytes from philosophers/gurus/artists etc including Alan Watts amongst others.
For the entire gig their vocalist, David Baker, held fourth at the front of the stage. With eyes wide this somewhat elfin man seemed to go into a trance as he was enveloped by the music and light.
From the responds of the crowd at the end of the gig the band were very well received and we left the venue exalted.
If you like this kind of music, and really its hard not to, do not miss a chance to catch these guys live.
More information on the band here.
January 15th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
[...] of the Paradiso but yet the gig still felt intimate. There is a review of this gig on Amsterdam Jam here. Their new album is very good and well worth checking out. Mercury Rev - Butterfly’s [...]