Last Saturday night at the House of Blues Washed Out and Yeasayer performed right in the middle of this crazy good week of music here in New Orleans. Unfortunately I missed the chill wave of opening act Washed Out, who played with a whole band on Saturday night. Last time I had the opportunity to see Ernest Greene, he performed alone so bit was a huge disappointment to miss him with his entire band, though it didn’t really take to long to get over it after Yeasayer began playing.
The psych-experimental rock band opened with “Madder Red” from their newest album Odd Blood. Its very clear right from the beginning of a Yeasayer show that they have a very unique live performance style. Their lights and stage props give off the impression that five deformed saints are leading followers through a spiritual experience as the band utilizes their many resources, including samplers and electric instruments to form their eclectic sound. By the time of the fourth song “Red Cave,” the last track on their freshman album All Hour Cymbals, I had finally forgotten the disappointment that came with missing Washed Out; the live rendition of this song was euphoric.
The band did a decent job of playing both new and old songs throughout the set, but they understandably tended to favor their new album, and a few older favorites, like “Many Waves,” were left out. They closed with the obvious crowd favorite, “Ambling Alp,” the first single from their latest album, but were back on stage very shortly for an encore to play “The Children” and “2080,” the most popular song from their debut album. All and all this was a pretty good show. They were very tight as a group and interesting from top to bottom, but there did seem to be a slight sense of personality change among the band. If I think back to last year, when they were still touring on All Hour Cymbals, I can’t help but be a bit nostalgic for the old Yeasayer.
photo by: Joshua Brasted
For more pictures from the show,
check out Joshua's Flickr.
Yeasayer - Red Cave
