I was in Chicago checking out Intonation, while Jake was in Boston checking out Beirut. He was nice enough to do a review of the show for us…

Beirut played to a packed house at the Lilypad in Cambridge, Mass., a venue that apparently has some other function during the daylight hours that I couldn’t make out for sure. Coffee shop? Antique store? Small accounting firm? What I am sure about is that the place could barely fit the band and sound equipment, let alone the wrap-around-the-block line of three hundred hipsters plus their hair.

Apparently word gets around Boston when the next big thing makes the trip up from New York. This makes for a hot, sweaty accountant’s office and a long wait, but I thought it was worth it for the added buzz of excitement from the crowd. Not everyone felt the same, however, and due to long delays from a broken amp, many of the people had left by the time the doors opened. Still, there were more than enough to fill the place, and by the time the show was over, everyone had forgotten about the wait.

Beirut’s performance brings the joy of a wedding in Sicily (as remembered from The Godfather), plus as an added bonus every so often the whole band explodes into an infectious sing-a-long “whoa-oh-oh” chorus – not unlike a certain other band with classical instruments whose name may or may not rhyme with “Markade Mire. They certainly try to bring a similar amount of energy to the stage. Or corner of the room, if the show is at the Lilypad in Cambridge.

What I liked about this band when I first heard their album was not just the uniqueness of their European folk sound, but also the parts that Beirut has in common with other bands I love. Just beneath the surface of old-fashioned brass/accordion choruses are often layers of guitars, keys, or rhythms that add a modern, indy sound. In the middle of the set there were a few songs that were missing that feel and the show was bogged down a bit in the slower horn melodies, although in their defense it could also have been my own fatigue from trying to balance on a tiny stool at the back of the room.

Throughout the show, and especially in the finale, Zach Condon cranked out upbeat trumpet hooks that were the highlight of the night. If you were there, I was the guy that left whistling the last song all the way down the street.