On Sept. 19, I experienced Beach House live and the performance was nothing short of spectacular. One thing that I was immediately surprised by was how loud the band was. Listening to their records on your phone or computer with headphones doesn’t measure up to the bass that leaves your body weak and the wall of sound created by Alex Scally’s melodic guitar and Victoria Legrand’s vocals – that reach tones on both ends of the spectrum with such power and rocking ferocity – forcing you into a trance. It was a concert that was so visceral it left you wondering how the time went by so fast. But you feel rejuvenated and excited. The experience is virtually ineffable. As one person at the show put it, “You guys are fucking killing it!” And to give you a context of the vibes of the show, Victoria responded to all the praise at one point by saying, “This is gonna be a four hour set.”
For a moment, I want to talk about the lighting on the show.
But before that, I will make a brief aside and say that the Royal Oak Theater (the venue where the concert was held) was absolutely beautiful, I highly recommend everyone to check out their website for future shows (they have acts varying from Beirut to stand up shows by Craig Ferguson – a man who, with absolute genius, deconstructed the Late Show format).
Anyways, back to the lighting. On the stage, there were three white rectangles that were made from some light thread – for the light easily went through it. Behind those rectangles were lights on the floor that could change color along with the lights from the top of the stage. The combination of these transformed the stage from deep red, to a rich sea blue, to a starry white. Complimenting these colors was the lights in the backstage, that were filled with dotted light bulbs that lit up for certain songs to emulate a starry night. Here is a link to some professional pictures of the show.
It is quite interesting that their album jacket for their new album, Depression Cherry (for the vinyl anyways, I assume that the CD cases are the same), is covered in deep red velvet. The comfortable feeling of the velvet doesn’t account for their visceral live show. The two are so considerably different and perhaps that is why it is so special. This is only the second concert I have ever gone to, so although such conclusions may seem late, it is only because of my lack of experience that I am just now beginning to realize the power of concerts.
Here is the set list for those that are interested.
Levitation
Walk in the Park
Lazuli
Gila
PPP
Beyond Love
Norway
On the Sea
Other People
Space Song
Myth
Wildflower
Wishes
Sparks
Encore
Wherever You Go
10 Mile Stereo
Here is a full stream of my favorite Beach House album, Teen Dream, for those who have never experienced the majesty of this band (but honestly all their albums are amazing – hard to pick a favorite – so I included all the streams provided by Sub Pop).
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