i should be sleeping, but some hours after andrew bird’s concert at the esplanade concert hall, i’m still pretty awed by the genius of the whole performance, by how he put everything together on his own, building up his songs from scratch, loop by loop, layer upon layer. what put everything in place was the way in which he started the set with “the happy birthday song”, taking his time in fiddling around with his compact ensemble of instruments, and somehow managing to create the most beautiful sounds from the most random collisions of loops and improvisations. the charm, of course, lies in the ease with which he constructs each movement, effortlessly but with full devotion. that patiently worked intro would transit seamlessly into the old bowl of fire classic and live favorite “why?”, passionately and soulfully delivered over that familiar, haunting refrain that still rings in my head now as i attempt to get some rest. goodnight and thanks for a lovely evening, mr bird. - dan. mp3: andrew bird – why? (live in montreal) this version of “why?” is taken from the live in montreal album, which is available from the andrew bird webstore. Tagged: andrew bird, esplanade, mosaic, why
January 27 2010, 1:58am | Original Link »
