The New Pornographers, 2014

Last night, Melanie and I went with my sister Khrystine and her husband Saeed to a concert by The New Pornographers. This was my second time seeing The New Pornographers live. Many aspects were the same as the last time I saw them perform: it was shortly after my birthday, it took place at a smaller venue that had some seating but was largely standing room only, the band did not engage a great deal with the audience, and exactly 50% of the songs they performed were the same as three years ago. That being said, it was still a much better concert. Even some of the repeat songs were much more “authentic” this time around, as Neko Case and Dan Bejar (two vital vocalists, each of whom sing lead vocals on several New Pornographers tracks) were both in attendance. They had both been absent when the band came to Tallahassee in 2011.

The concert took place at The Depot in downtown Salt Lake City. The opening band was The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. I wasn’t familiar with their stuff, but they sounded quite good. They have that hint of 80s sound to them that many bands seem to have nowadays. Before the concert got started, Khrystine bought a CD from the guitarist and lead singer of the band, Kip Berman. He seemed very friendly. Khrystine told him her favorite song, and when they performed a short time later, Kip introduced that song as “For Khrystine.” Khrystine was quite giddy about that.

While The New Pornographers were slightly more personable than they were in Tallahassee, this concert was once again about the music. They didn’t waste a lot of time on chit-chat. That’s fine, I suppose. We got 24 songs out of them, which is 8 more than last time. We even got a double encore. Dan Bejar was a funny fellow. He was onstage only for those songs on which he sang vocals, and if he ever wasn’t singing, he would turn his back to the audience. He was on– and off-stage constantly. It was rather amusing. I can only assume he’s super shy. I know he’s absent from many of the official band photos I’ve seen. Even when he sang, he seemed to avoid eye contact with the audience. But I’m glad he was there. His vocal styling is definitely unique, and it isn’t the same to have someone else do his vocals for him.

Unlike in Tallahassee, we stood for the entire concert. We weren’t very far from the stage. The crowd thickened throughout the show, but I managed not to topple over, what with my gimpy left foot and my bandaged left wrist preventing me from my bracing myself very well. My feet hurt like crazy after the show. I could barely walk. It’s like my legs had forgotten how to work after nearly 3.5 hours of standing in basically one spot.

As I did three years ago, I’m going to share the entire concert setlist by way of YouTube videos. The videos aren’t the point so much as the songs. (These aren’t always official videos anyway.) Embedding the videos (and thus the audio of each song) seems a more fun way of recording the setlist than simply enumerating the songs. And so, here are the songs I enjoyed last night, in the order I enjoyed them:

Brill Bruisers
(from the album Brill Bruisers)


Myriad Harbour
(from the album Challengers)


Use It
(from the album Twin Cinema)


War on the East Coast
(from the album Brill Bruisers)
NOTE: Dan Bejar sings lead vocals on this song, but even in the music video, he has fellow band member Carl Newman lip synch for him. That’s Dan walking next to Carl throughout the entire video, however.


Moves
(from the album Together)


All the Old Showstoppers
(from the album Challengers)


Jackie, Dressed in Cobras
(from the album Twin Cinema)


Fantasy Fools
(from the album Brill Bruisers)
NOTE: This is a live version of the song, which is all I can find right now. Neko Case’s backing vocals are conspicuously absent, but it still sounds pretty good.


Another Drug Deal of the Heart
(from the album Brill Bruisers)
NOTE: I can’t find this one at all! Crap!

The Laws Have Changed
(from the album Electric Version)


Testament to Youth in Verse
(from the album Electric Version)


Crash Years
(from the album Together)


Adventures in Solitude
(from the album Challengers)


Spidyr
(from the album Brill Bruisers)


Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk
(from the album Together)


Backstairs
(from the album Brill Bruisers)
NOTE: One of my very favorites from the new album, but I can’t find a video. Poop!

Silver Jenny Dollar
(from the album Together)


Champions of Red Wine
(from the album Brill Bruisers)


Born with a Sound
(from the album Brill Bruisers)


Mass Romantic
(from the album Mass Romantic)



ENCORE #1
Dancehall Domine
(from the album Brill Bruisers)


The Bleeding Heart Show
(from the album Twin Cinema)



ENCORE #2
Sing Me Spanish Techno
(from the album Twin Cinema)


The Slow Descent into Alcoholism
(from the album Mass Romantic)