all words and photos by Dakota
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Okay, let me start this off by saying that the sky on Tuesday night in DC was one of the most amazing sights I have ever beheld. I was walking with some friends to the show at the 930 Club but at a certain point I had to just fall back and as I stood in the middle of the street with cars honking behind me (and me turning around giving them the evil eye, like "I really don't give a flying f***, are you not looking at the sky right now?!?!), I took these photos.
Photography is after all, in it's most basic form, a study of light, and as all photographers can probably attest, we pay very close attention to what the sky looks like. So, well, when it looked like this the other night, I stopped and took note of the celebration in the heavens. I swear, I know next to nothing about atmospherics, but I'm gonna guess the sky in DC looks like this maybe once every two years.
But anyways, this post is about TV on the Radio, who I've been to see once before on behalf of BYT, although it was at the Merriweather Post Pavilion, a decidedly less intimate experience, I can recall at the time being struck by the enormous stage presence of lead singer Tunde Adebimpe. Presence verging on flamboyance I would call it actually.
Tuesday night Adebimpe seemed more subdued than the last time I had seen him, which was in my mind a good thing, and I think as a result the brilliance of TVotR's music shined through more clearly. These guys strike me as musical visionaries. Their sound has an effect on me of a hypnotic quality, replete with dark melodies and wailing guitars, I seriously could not help myself but to jump and wail right along with them.
In fact, I think the crowd felt mostly the same way I did, as I witnessed the entire section in front of the stage repeatedly springing to life with each and every chorus.
Finishing their set off with DLZ, from the new album, was a nice touch. One of my personal favorites, it showcases the most compelling aspects Adebimpe's shout-along vocal style, along with what I can only describe as deep rhythmatics, or rather a time signature that is at once foreign, and yet at the same time innate. I think what I appreciate so much about TVotR, is that being in the presence of their performance is more of a total body experience than I'm used to. You feel it in your belly, I'm guessing these guys are connoisseurs of the "bass face."
Some might call TVotR an acquired taste. I would say, they're a band that stretches musical tastes and sensibilities. A band that like a lightning rod of human exuberance (and yes, flamboyance), conducts creativity, and perhaps most notably, woos indie-rock critics everywhere.
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Previously in Live DC:
- 2/9: LiveDC: Theophilus London @ 930 Club
- 2/9: Best Weekend Bets
- 2/8: LiveDC: Kathleen Edwards @ 930 Club
- 2/8: LiveDC: Thurston Moore/ Kurt Vile @ Black Cat
- 2/8: LiveDC: Thurston Moore/ Kurt Vile @ Black Cat
- 2/7: LiveDC: Demetri Martin @ Warner Theatre
- 2/7: LiveDC: Augustana/ Graffiti6 @ 930 Club
- 2/6: LiveDC: All Things Go Presents: Reptar/ Casual Curious/ Fort Lean @ Gibson Guitar Showroom
- 2/6: LiveDC: TYCHO/ Beacon @ RNR Hotel
- 2/6: LiveDC: The Kills / Jeff The Brotherhood @ 9:30 Club
God loves a cheerful giver.
Att'n black dudes in indie rock bands:
I strongly encourage everyone start wearing kente cloth and other African garb while playing shows. It looks tight. Look at Kyp Malone! (Here's looking @ you Laughing Man, I see y'all in the front row taking notes!)
HUGS.
Those sky pics = facking amazing...
Love the pics. Those are great shots. Excellent lighting, killer angles. Nice writeup too, even though I was at Passion Pit
Killer set of photos Mr. Fine!
dakota, i could not agree more about the sky. it was gorgeous on tuesday.
and i saw these guys last night and it was fantastic. also, i loved their backdrop.
this review = posted from the "Bolt Bus" en route back to DC from NY presently.
*ringing* endorsement.
currently, listening to new TVotR album on headphones. sad i missed Amadou & Mariam last night.
if these dudes were all white they wouldnt be nearly as popular. just sayin..
@mark
Bad Brains probably wouldn't be as compelling a proposition if they were white either. Interesting point put that's probably the 400th or so item on the list of things that come to mind when I think about these guys.
@madou and mariam were fantastic. you missed out.
amadou & mariam review coming VERY SHORTLY with AMAZING photos too
Dakota, the sky pictures are amazing, so so beautiful.
Santigold pics please! One of the best shows I've ever seen at 9:30... she was on fire.
"just sayin" has to be the worst excuse for making unsupportable and offensive statements. its like insta-14-year-old. "Hey mom this pasta sauce tastes like BALLZ. Just sayin'" "Man Mr. Gruberman is such a fag.... Just sayin'" "Dude, Martin Luther King Jr. was a pederast...just sayin, i dunno."
I'm not just saying this: You are a dumb.
truth hurts i guess.
yes, your truth is just soul-crushing.
mark is the new adam. remember adam?
Beautiful pictures, Dakota.
haha. mark's beefin'.
substitute "black" with "white" and "these dudes" with Eric Clapton, Elvis Presley, Eminem, Asher Roth and watch as your whole point vapoohrizes. Truth Hurts, my nigga.
Where is Dirty Projectors coverage? They were fantastic, eclectic, and accessible. They rocked. It was a joy to watch Longstreth shred the guitar with Coffman and Deradoorian's vocals seeming to outdo and compliment each other at the same time.
TV On the Radio showed up as well. I often forget TV On the Radio are a rock band. Seeing them live, I couldn't help but dance along.
Keep speaking the truth Mark, my aryan brother. These majority black indie bands have been getting a free pass from the jew music critics for way to long in a conspiracy to keep the marginalized white indie bands down. Like TVotR, and um... the....um...Animal Collective are black I think, and all the... others?
Pretty stoked that the Silver Jews broke up though.
Mark, if the members of TVOTR were white, their records would sound entirely different -- TVOTR would be an entirely different band making entirely different music that would be evaluated on entirely different terms.
It's impossible to separate the blackness of the songwriters from the music they produce. The unique experiences and circumstances they must traverse precisely because of their race enables them to forge songs like "Golden Age" and "Family Tree," which could never come from white musicians.
THANK YOU FITSUM. so on point.
mark, if you were trying to make the point that TVotR gets extra brownie (emphasis on brown) points for being one of the few indie rock bands composed of a diverse cast of characters (ahem, a dynamic combination of black AND white artists) out there KILLING IT in a genre dominated by white men, you FAILED miserably.
instead, you come off as a bigot, here's why: you're bitching about someone's success in spite of their race, without giving any thought to qualify your statement in light of the incontrovertible evidence that people of color face all sorts of discrimination and prejudice in this world, nevermind this country. plainly said: inarticulate, you are.
instead of saying something thoughtful, you elect to assert something that sounds like the Pat Buchanan of indie rock? please, clarify, i'd love to know what your understanding of affirmative action is as well while we're on the subject.
i'd seriously like to hear you elaborate on your point, whether it's just to clarify a misunderstanding, or so that i can write you off as ignorant... either way i'll feel better.
just sayin.
are they a novelty act due to their race? much like an eminem? just sayin...
mark's right. what's his prize already?
maybe my wording was poor in my original post but i would like to thank "dakota" for having his hyper PC detector on overdrive. you are truly a socially concerned and well balanced hipster. good day.
well, mark, to be honest. you have a point.
"Dakota" is the name given to me by my SUPER social justice minded, pc parents, who have no doubt influenced my thinking. as did growing up in San Francisco... oh yeah, did i mention that my parents are lesbian jews? and, oh yeah, did i mention that i'm a heterosexual white male.
but good of you to shit on identity politics. now let's talk shit about Justice Sonia Sotomayor and identity politics.
you're a fag, ftw.
Hey everybody did you know that if TV on the Radio weren't TV on the Radio they wouldn't be as popular!!!?????
wait wait wait..... Did you know that if chocolate was vanilla it would taste different
just sayin..
ha!
Charles is on point. I think that the Dirty Projectors were the big deal here, at least from my perspective (attending the show on the 9th). They played an incredible set, despite covering songs from mainly their new album. They were so pure, vocally and otherwise, it seemed that even TV on the Radio felt totally outclassed. It was no fewer than two times that Tunde and then Kyp asked for a hand for the opening act, mentioning that it was "truly an honor to be following such a talented group." And by the end of a hardly interesting set (except for a great version of Young Liars, and, surprisingly, A Wolf Like Me) Their "visionary" or "edgy" noise rock seemed tame and simple compared with the musical dexterity and flawless delivery of the Projectors.
Well played Dakota...
I was driving down to see these guys play in Richmond Tuesday night in the epic storm for their Wednesday show. I can't say that I have ever seen so many rainbows and sweet, yet scary, looking skies in such a short time before; glad to see that you were able to capture that.
I saw them back on their last tour when they came around to DC and I thought that that show was actually slightly better. This may have been caused by the awful crowd that I had the pleasure of experiencing the show with; who knows...
Give it up to the Dirty Projectors...they rocked just as hard!
PS - they didn't play Tonight at our show
indeed Dirty Projectors are murder.....and extremely nice people to boot....in case you didn't notice Bjork actually came to watch their set day 2
I'd like to throw my two cents at mark but such thorough arguments as "you know it's true" and "just sayin..." cuts right to the core of things. I wonder just how we would measure the success of the white, less popular TVOTR. Would they only sell out one night? Were thousands packed into the venue to quell their raging white guilt? Sounds like an awesome way to spend an evening.
I WILL however echo the call for the dirty projectors getting their due. I went primarily to hear songs from Bitte Orca and the band completely destroyed. I've seen them three time previous and this might have been the best. It's easy to fall into breathy hyperbole when talking about them so I'll keep it brief but seriously-wow.
I was happily surprised by TVOTR since I've always heard such negative things about them live. They deserve a round of applause just for getting the room moving. Great pictures, btw.
after some lurking dakota want kidding about his background. i get it now...oof.
definitely adam jr.