all photos: Lexie Moreland
I missed Papercuts and Stamen & Pistils. Shame on me.
But Greg saw Papercuts when Beach House kicked off their tour in Baltimore about a month back so read up on it here.
Truth be told, I was planning to not go to any shows on Friday, as there were too many, but while in line for a line at the Hirshhorn Lexie and I impromptu decided that our love for Beach House is too strong to deny and hauled ass and cameras and blurry brains over.
I will keep this short: I am glad we did.
Devotion is one of my favorite albums this year and I am (not) ashamed to admit that I sort of always felt like Beach House was not necessary to see live: just put the record on, push play, lay on your bed, close your eyes and imagine pixie dust falling on you.
That’s all you need.
I stand corrected.
First of all-there were the outfits.
I love a band in outfits.
Victoria looked like she belonged in ABBA.
Alex looked like he belonged in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and I mean this with all the love in my heart.
Second of all-and this you may not hear fully on the record, but Victoria is one soulful lady singer. Her voice goes from being as soft as a feather to as sharp and soaring as an arrow in seconds. I’d compare her to someone contemporary, but that wouldn’t do her justice because it is more timeless. You could see her singing Stormy Weather, crystals dangling off her neck, hair rushing to her face and it would sound as classic and as modern as you could wish it to be.
I was also tired, and each song wrapped me in a sonic blanket I just wanted to snuggle up in.
Somehow, even, and this never happens, I ended up front and center stage, shamelessly blocking views of everyone in sight during their encore. Because I wanted to be as close to the glimmery magic as I could.
And then, then, it was all over and we went upstairs and to Disco City.
Some photos here and more photos here:
http://www.brightestyoungthings.com/caughtintheflash/disco-city-the-hotel-8/
beach house was a-m-a-z-i-n-g!
as soon as i heard the keyboard, i just melted.
April 9, 2008 at 12:12 pmI wish I was at a beach house right now listening to some ABBA.
April 9, 2008 at 12:38 pmI thought beach house was acceptable, yet bland.
April 9, 2008 at 2:30 pmJamie: Funny, that’s kind of how I find your recipes and personality.
But seriously, I can see that happening if you were stuck near the back of the room. I had moseyed closer to the bar by the time the encore hit, and it was a completely different experience than 2 rows from the stage.
April 9, 2008 at 8:10 pmnuevo beach house video:
April 10, 2008 at 2:00 pm
FYI Anybody who missed this: Beach House is playing a free show in Baltimore on Saturday at the Soundgarden, 7PM!
April 9, 2008 at 10:38 am