Built to Spill was supposed to have played First Avenue back in April, but due to Doug Marsch's eye surgery, they had to reschedule for September. That was fine by me, as I had bought my ticket in April already. Fellow Northwestern Pacificers Helvetia warmed us up with their brand of spacey, bright psych-rock, employing lots of fun sounds and hazy instrumentals into their set. It was very laid-back for the most part, but then suddenly the tempo would change, the drum beats would get just a little more fast and complex, and soon we followed the shifts with our feet. At least I did. The drunk people got into them, yelling and shaking their fists with delight (not rage) towards the stage. I bought their album afterwards, and I must say, it is quite good. Easy to throw it on in the background and get things done, or put it on headphones and just chill out.
When the lights dimmed and the projection screen rose, the crowd erupted as Built to Spill set up to rock our socks off. And that's exactly what they did for over 2 hours, playing a decent mix of old and new stuff. For being a huge fan, I wasn't familar with some of the earlier songs that they played, but I still enjoyed the hell out of them! They really knew how to just groove and rock for long periods of time, only stopping to speak to us once in a while. They are what indie rock from the Pacific Northwest sounds like, as tons of bands have been influenced by them time and again.
The new songs were out of this world, as their sound showed even more of an appreciation for straight-up psych-rock. Of course, I wouldn't expect anything the same or repetitive from them either. Lots of the drunks yelled out song titles over and over again, hoping the band would play their favorites. And as I left, I found not one disappointed fan. They did their part, thrilling and wowing us till the very end.
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