I first saw Andrew Bird at the Henry Fonda three years ago. He was the latest new thing and it was the hot show of the week. We showed up at the last minute, and we were on the side smoking cigarettes during this intimate show. A girl came up to us and said "Shhh." It was the first time I had been "Shhh-ed" at a concert. It was similar to the no talking at Ray LaMontagne concert a few days ago. This is music to be listened to, and studied, and romantic feelings swirl in the air.
Andrew Bird has a few more albums now. His show isn't so quiet anymore. He has a full band now, and he goes from intimacy to comedy. He plays a lot of instruments. He is quirky. He has weird titles for songs. He played a lot of songs from the popular Noble Beast. We all whistled away and enjoyed the night.
Andrew Bird is a virtuoso. He comes out alone. He plays loops of violins, and it sounds like an orchestra. A few artists have done this looping before, but Bird sort of excels at it, and you can't imagine him playing the songs in a more straight-forward way or with additional musicians. He starts by taking off his shoes, using many foot petals. He plays violin and guitar, plus glockenspiel. He has some device swirling behind him, making weird air sounds. He plays with three other guys who all play several instruments themselves. It is quite a feat just watching all this musicianship.
Bird has his bag of tricks. His songs, his whistling. Many bands now can be one of four types: 1) great musicians 2) great songs that are catchy 3) bands that work hard to create a new unique sound 4) bands who are just a reflection of their record collection. Andrew Bird seems like he is a good mix of the first three, and he doesn't really remind me of other bands. There may a general alt-country feel to what he does, but he is great at disguising any borrowings. It all makes for a great live show and a unique experience.
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