Having never been to The Portage Theater in Chicago, I was relieved to find a nice venue with amazing sound. The latter was due, mostly in part, to the musicians that comprise the collective that is Beirut. Zach Condon has surrounded himself with a miniature army of seven musicians that, as evident on The Flying Club Cup, brings their European sounds alive to an even larger extent than evident on Gulag Orkestar.
The evening allowed the trademark Beirut sound of horns, violins, ukuleles, mandolins, glockenspiels, pianos and accordions to swirl behind the warm and defined vocals of Zach Condon. Listening to his voice it’s simply amazing that a young man can reach such levels and sound so mature and accomplished. He’s hands-down one of my favorite singers in music today. Main set highlights included a gorgeous version of “A Sunday Smile,” “A Call To Arms” and “Carousels” off the fantastic, but short Lon Gisland EP.
Ending the three-song encore was “Postcards From Italy,” which continues to be a fan favorite based on enthusiastic audience response, though I’m sure everyone went home with a few new favorites. My only complaint was that the band didn’t play all night, or at least longer. The set seemed to fly by and be over just as quick as it came. Granted, that could be that the music itself seemed to soak up and absorb me to the point where the group possibly played longer than it actually seemed.
Nonetheless, last night’s show was one of the best I’ve seen this year. The opportunity to see a band as unique as Beirut doesn’t come around on a regular basis. Their songs rise to anthem heights and keep everyone so transfixed on music, making for an unforgettable night.
We’ve stressed this plenty of times before, but if you haven’t checked out the Take Away Shows for The Flying Club Cup, you really should. A great place to start is with this version of “Cliquot” featuring vocal duties by Grizzly Bear’s Ed Droste:
The Flying Club Cup, will be released on Tuesday, October 9th on Ba Da Bing.
MoB: We Like: Beirut – The Flying Club Cup
MoB: Beirut in Cambridge (6/26/06)
Myspace: Beirut
MP3: Beirut – A Sunday Smile
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Download: eMusic
Buy: Insound (coupon code ‘letsgetlive10′ – good for 10% off)
