By Jodi Root
The Mountain Goats may have been headlining the Metro, but it was Final Fantasy, aka Mr. Owen Pallett, who stole my heart and forever won my listening pleasure last evening in Chicago. The affair was one to not soon forget—with a disperse crowd cluttering the main floor, Pallett took to the stage at 9:00 pm precise, violin in hand amidst the purple and gold illuminated stage. I had a vague idea of what was in store for the following 40 minutes, briefly catching his performance this last July at Pitchfork—but my mind was simply blown, observing the incredible musicianship maneuvered by a mere two men.
Pallett not only played his violin as an eloquent, instrument of sheer string beauty, but he plucked like a bass, strummed like a guitar, thumbed like a drum, pounded chopsticks as if a piano, utilizing this sole magical tool to channel percussion, enhance vocals and glide a variety of strings. I’m telling you, I had no clue any instrument, let alone a violin, could produce as extravagant of a display as witnessed last evening. Pallett, being a composer by trade, with FF as a “side-project,” knows his craft. It’s no wonder he’s been recruited to record and compose for the likes of The Arcade Fire, Beirut, Grizzly Bear and of course, fellow tour mates, the Mountain Goats. Dude’s worked alongside and remixed a variety of additional groups as well—including the likes of Stars and Death From Above 1979–his CV of guest spots is enough to make even the most resistant hipster cringe in jealousy of his talent.
I’ll admit my knowledge of Pallett’s work was rather limited up until I received confirmation for the show Thursday afternoon, but it didn’t take me very long to catch up on a good portion of his catalogue and fall in love with it. Reminiscent of a younger and slightly hipper (or dorkier) Andrew Bird, Pallett streams his violin through a series of samples, loops and foot pedals. His gentleman like, soothing and honey enriched vocals are the polishing touches atop a bed of percussion and strings – a very melodic and delectable combination. Live, he proved himself even more vibrant than on his recordings. It was as if his fingers truly were on fire, watching his magical hands glide every which way, pausing only to shake his fingers out of a cramp, snap along to a beat or to cradle the mic mid-song.
Pallett managed to win over the Mountain Goat heavy fan base with his undeniable wit and charm—two songs in following the obligatory introduction, “So, I’m here for 40 minutes on stage—my only requirement is that you be nice to me, and I’ll be nice to you, and then we can enjoy the mountain goats together;” pausing and chuckling, he smiled. “But you be mean to me,” he threatened jokingly, “And I’ll be mean to you—and play alllll the mountain goats songs now so then they can’t play any of them, a-ha, ha, ha—it’ll be my final trick.”
All tricks aside, it was difficult to capture the track list represented throughout the set. Originally I coughed this up to my lack of initial knowledge on FF, but I later discovered the reason when Pallett explained, “Pity album three isn’t here to sell because it comes out in January—and here we are, playing songs for you we’re writing for album four—sawww-ry.” Comparing himself to a “buzz band, one of those bands that doesn’t have any albums out yet, playing all this new material,” the audience still warmly reciprocated the show, laughing and swaying along to Pallett’s playful sense of humor. If last night’s representation was an accountable sample of what’s in store, count me in—although I did appreciate and pick up on some older material. Tracks included, “Lewis Takes Action,” “The Butcher,” “The Cn Tower Belongs to the Dead,” “Took You Two Years to Win My Heart,” and my personal favorite “This is the Dream of Win and Regine.” When asked by a crowd member to play “Please Please Please,” Pallett retorted, “I’d love to, but it’s too complicated—yeah, party on. I’m just going to play what I want to,” strumming into what I believe was a track called “Interview”– but definitely did not disappoint, as the intro strummed into a xylophone like haze.
As promised, FF wrapped the set up on time at the quarter to mark, ending things with “Lewis Takes Off his Shirt,” an upcoming single which Pallett jokingly boasted, “You’ll be so sick of it when it goes to number one,” although I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be the only member of the crowd who would beg to differ. The soundtrack was simply unforgettable, a night full of orchestral magic and beauty—the ideal opening act for the Mountain Goats, who Pallett later joined on stage. If you have yet to be enchanted by Final Fantasy, do yourself a favor and check it live before hitting the record store, I promise the experience is one not to be beat.
Buy: Final Fantasy
++
