Let’s put it all out there: It’s my first time writing for Consequence of Sound and already I have been assigned one of the hardest assignments as a freelancer – the responsibility to review Spoon and Deerhunter at the famous Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

It isn’t difficult to explain what exactly happened at the show but to capture the mood of the environment and the emotion of the bands that share the stage with The Rockettes is more challenging than meets the eye. I will never be able to capture the beauty and artistry of each performer because I have not seen the charisma that Spoon had in a long time.

I walked into the lavish auditorium to find Deerhunter to have just made their way on-stage. The band, fronted by the very talented Bradford Cox, was a band of few words. The band barely spoke to the crowd – a crowd who absorbed the group’s notable ambient sound – with the exception of a touching homage to the late Alex Chilton. Radio City Music Hall’s acoustics and sound system brought out the eerie side of Deerhunter which was enough to make the hair on your neck stand on end.

The set up of the stage prior to Spoon taking the stage promised for a night littered with a variety of surprises. Located stage-right was a small chorus stand. Opposite on-stage was the home for an upright piano, keyboard and synthesizer. The audience waited anxiously for the band to take the stage. Then, in what seemed to be almost no time at all – the silhouette of Britt Daniel walked quietly on-stage. Without any acknowledgment to the throngs of fans, he picked up an acoustic guitar and went into the band’s first of 24 songs. A spotlight on Daniel was the only source of light in the theatre, supplementing the intimacy an acoustic version of “Me and The Bean” would have. Jim Eno, Eric Harvey, and Rob Pope joined the illuminated frontman and immediately delved into tracks from their most recent release, Transference. By the time they swung away at “Written In Reverse”, fans in the Third Mezzanine were on their feet.

Approximately halfway through the band’s set list, an announcement by Daniels brought about many waves of cheers and noise. Britt’s “friend” that would be performing with them was none-other than Eleanor Friedberger, one-half of the brother/sister duo The Fiery Furnaces. Friedberger and Co. then broke out into Furnaces’ “Waiting To Know You”, a more musically complex version of the original, and “Someone Something”.

Shortly following, six musicians walked onto the stage, carrying a wide array of brass instruments – including a tenor and alto sax and trombones – and fleshed out the remainder of the band’s initial set list, which truly benefit a few tunes, including a rousing rendition of  “The Underdog”.

Before anyone knew it, however, the band vanished from the stage. Only they returned  so quickly that it almost seemed like just a quick water break. Whatever they did worked. As if they hit the reset button, the band strolled back out, greeted the Radio City Music Hall crowd once again, and picked up their instruments, promising the audience that one more surprise would be in order.

That surprise came in the form of Dan Boeckner, vocalist/guitarist for Canadian indie superstars Wolf Parade and Handsome Furs. With a light introduction, Dan orchestrated the group into a very well-done cover of “Modern World” off of Wolf Parade’s Apologies to the Queen Mary. Boeckner made a great addition to Spoon, adding his own spin and adaptation to “I Saw The Light”

The very last song, “Small Stakes”, is an appropriate, nostalgic note for the band. Spoon, an act with such a successful and lengthy career ended a night on a stage that has seen similar acts come-and-go…truly, a night to remember.

Photo via Katie Warren…

Setlist:
Me and the Bean (Britt Solo)
The Mystery Zone
Written In Reverse
Got Nuffin
My Mathematical Mind
Don’t Make Me a Target
Ghost Of You Lingers
Love Song (The Damned Cover)
Is Love Forever?
Waiting To Know You (Fiery Furnaces) w/Eleanor Friedberger of the FF
Someone Something (w/ Eleanor Friedberger of the FF)
The Beast and Dragon, Adored
Don’t You Evah
I Summon You
Nobody Gets Me But You
You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb
Rhythm and Soul
Jonathon Fisk
The Underdog
Black Like Me

Encore:
Trouble Comes Running
Modern World (Wolf Parade) w/ Dan Boeckner of Wolf Parade
I Saw The Light (Dan Boeckner on guitar)
Small Stakes