Andrew Bird: Radio City Music Hall

It was my first time at Radio City Music Hall, and what stood out most to me were the bathrooms. I ventured downstairs to relieve myself after catching a few songs of opener Calexico's set, and was taken aback by the amazingly luxurious bathroom that stood before me. There was an entire room with couches and comfy chairs leading into the room with the stalls, urinals, and sinks. This has absolutely nothing to do with the music itself, but it did exude the sense of high-class-ness (sic) that a venue like Radio City Music Hall represents.

It seemed that Andrew Bird himself was taken aback by the quality of the concert hall as well. A few songs into his performance he informed the crowd that "I don't even know how we got here."

Mr. Bird may not have been sure how he arrived to the venue (whether he was referring to literally being unsure of how he arrived at that night's show, or he was speaking more existentially- being not quite sure how his solo career had brought him to such a prestigious venue) but he sure as hell put on a fantastic show.

This was my first time seeing Mr. Bird in concert, but I had been forewarned that his shows were something special. As an avid concert-goer, I took these words with a grain of salt, skeptically thinking that he couldn't possibly be that great. I mean, it's just an guy looping his violin- what's so special about that.

And then, we began to hear music from behind the curtain- a sweet piercing violin sound. The curtains rose to reveal Mr. Bird standing alone with his violin perched neatly beneath his chin, playing the intro to Darkmatter. (Note: this seems to be something of a debate. Some setlists claim that a song entitled Sweetbreads was the opener. It seems that Sweetbreads is an earlier version of Darkmatter, and that it was that version which opened the show on Thursday night.)

But what made the show so amazing was Mr. Bird's command of the music. He would begin each song by playing a short piece on his violin- either in the classic under-the-chin method, or turned sideways like a mandolin. After looping the piece, he would proceed to loop another piece on top of that. Sometimes more violin, sometimes some whistling, and other times some guitar. After all his looping was finished, he would proceed to play the entirety of the song with his band- continually aweing the crowd with their amazingly tight musical talents.

And beyond the music, his voice stands out as incredible. He has a soaring voice that filled Radio City quite well; at times piercing, at times sensual- but always incredible.

Though, I think I need to stop. Not because I have nothing more to say, but because I can't quite think of how to say it. You can listen to his studio tracks, live bootlegs, watch youtube videos- but none of that can come close to actually seeing him live. This is one of those shows that you need to attend to properly understand. So, for lack of being able to competently describe the hold Mr. Bird and his bandmates had on the entire crowd for close to 2 hours, I will just implore you to see him live yourself. It is certainly something to be experienced.