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The night started with Other Lives. Hell, at first it felt like it could’ve ended with them. They started in with “As I Lay My Head Down” and I was immediately sold. The rickety church floorboards shook with the bass, and the sanctuary became filled with transfigured grins and pensive faces. These guys were for real. They moved effortlessly into the pulsing trumpets of “Dark Horse” as lead singer Jesse Tabish poured out vocals that sounded better than any studio mastered recording. “For 12” was the first song Tabish actually used the acoustic guitar that he had strapped to his back; every band member swapped between a number of different instruments and this became a theme for the night. After playing “Dust Bowl III” the group left the stage to an eruption of applause. You would’ve thought they were beckoning an encore.
After a short break, The Low Anthem sort of snuck up on stage and suddenly the lights were dimmed and the only light that entered the hall was moonlight through cathedral style windows. Various onlookers from the balcony were silhouetted by the dim light. We were all waiting in hollowed silence. Strings began to play and a dim blue light was cast on the stage-people. The five piece band began with “Sally Where’d You Get Your Liquor From” which began with lovely clarinet ambience. They weaved each song into the next, switching instruments and maintaining the murmuring prayers of various woodwinds.
Lead singer, Ben Knox Miller sat at his tiny organ off to the right of the stage in isolation. They went into the soft and windy tune, “To the Ghosts that Write History Books.” The blue lighting pulsated with organ and upright bass humming. This is the way it went for the next 3 songs, and especially with one of my favorites, “Oh My God Charlie Darwin,” which the title in itself is so incredibly brilliant. Miller’s euphoric falsetto waxed euphoric, and as the cyclonic harmonies came in singing, “Oh my God, Life is cold and formless / Oh my God, it’s all around,” you suddenly felt the opposite, that God would rapture all of us now in such delirious and sorrowful beauty.
The music took a turn. They broke out the Jazzmasters and tore it up for “Boeing 737” and the guitar driven track featured some powerful singing from Jocie Adam’s who showed off her incredible range. The last song played was “This Goddamn House” which Miller prefaced by asking everyone to take out their cell phones, put them on speaker phone, call the person next to them, and hold the phones together when the signal was given to do so. Miller played a band saw, and another band member played a guitar with a bow. When the signal was given the room became speckled with glowing cell phones, and as they played the room became filled with the sound of digital crickets. This was probably due to the feedback from the phones, similar to when you put a microphone to a speaker. It was lovely.
But it doesn’t end there. When the band came out for the encore, Miller asked anyone who wanted to come up on stage to do so, and play with them on the last song. “It’s in the key of G,” he said. I was stunned. This was incredible. This was humble and loving. This is what music is all about. It took about 3 minutes, but slowly more people went up on the stage grabbing any lonely instrument or microphone stand. It was a beautiful sight, and sounded wonderful. There was not one person onstage that was off key.
I left that night thinking, "Wow, this show cost $16." People pay more for a beer and a hot dog at a Sabres game. In light of the recent Grammys and Super Bowl halftime show, it just stuns me that this band is almost unheard of and aren't packing stadium shows. That all these talentless sellouts are taking over the market, and hardly anyone would recognize The Low Anthem and give credit where it's rightfully due. But I soon changed my way of thinking. This band would never play in a stadium. They belonged in places like Asbury Hall; they would never price gouge. Paradoxically, their music would never pack stadiums. And they could never request the presence of 30,000+ people to come up on stage with them.
Photo by Christina Johnson
Great review of a magical show! This was the 4th time I have seen The Low Anthem, and each time is mesmerizing and beautiful. The only disappointment was when the show was over!
Amazing band...amazing night!
Great show at a beautiful venue. Here is a link to video of the encore performance with many audience members on stage. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG-w1fGUP-8