MEWITHOUTYOU, PIEBALD, MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA @ Highline Ballroom, NYC 6/19/07 Show Review by Jason Bergman
Based on how the room was so tightly packed and the way the teenage girls were screaming, I would have guessed that Atlanta, Georgia’s MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA were headlining the show at the Highline Ballroom in New York City. Fans were dancing and singing along to the group’s great pop-rock that has that extra level of sincerity missing from most bands in their same style. Despite missing their normal guitarist, the group still sounded tight while playing tracks off their debut I’m Like A Virgin Losing A Child like “Now That You’re Home” and “I Can Barely Breathe”. Singer-song writer KEVIN DEVINE joined the group at the end on guitar which was a nice touch on an already solid set.
PIEBALD seemed like the odd man out on this show, especially when MANCHESTER’S fans cleared out immediately after the last note was played. “Who is up next?” a young girl asked her friend. “I don’t know, some other bands,” she replied as they walked away. Sigh. Regardless, front man Travis Shettel brought an unparalleled amount of energy to the stage, which had him running, jumping, stage diving, and piggy back riding other band members all over the venue. Playing tracks like “I Haven’t Tried It”, from their new album Accidental Gentleman, and fan favorites like “American Hearts” and “If Marcus Garvey Dies, Then Marcus Garvey Lives”, the band seemed to win over a couple of people who were clearly not there for them, while appeasing the diehard fans who were singing along to every line. The boys from Boston left the stage and left a great impression on me. I do enjoy PIEBALD’S recorded material, but seeing a band put that much energy and sheer enjoyment into their show really shows that they stand out from the pack.
The one thing I have always liked about MEWITHOUTYOU’s albums was the sense of urgency you can hear in lead singer Aaron Weiss’ vocals, as well as the ominous sounding backing music which can range from tense guitars, to the drums which really drive the band. Sadly, some of that urgency was initially lost in translation on stage, but once the band got warmed up after opening with the mellow, acoustically inclined “Yellow Spider” and transitioned into “A Glass Can Only Spill What It Contains”, both off Brother, Sister, you can tell they settled into a great spot where they fed off each other’s energy. Aaron Weiss spazzed all over the stage, while taking some tea breaks and resting on the drum riser, while singing/speaking in his trademark yell. The group focused mostly on Brother, Sister tracks, but included some old ones like “Tie Me Up! Untie Me!” and “Four Letter Word (pt. two)”. BRAND NEW frontman Jesse Lacey came out and put up a bouquet of flowers on each microphone midway through the set, and re-appeared during the closing song, “In A Sweater Poorly Knit” to chant the lines “I do not exist” along with the rest of the opening acts and their friends. This resulted in at least fifteen people on stage yelling and screaming, while PIEBALD frontman Travis Shettel slammed sleigh bells and went wild in the middle of the stage. Compared to that song, their encore of “January, 1979” seemed tame (despite the guitarist from PIEBALD stage diving mid-song), but proved that once they are given time to settle in, MEWITHOUTYOU can deliver an emotionally charged set.
MEWITHOUTYOU setlist:
Yellow Spider
A Glass Can Only Spill What It Contains
Tie Me Up! Untie Me!
Leaf (???)
Messes of Men
The Dryness and The Rain
Orange Spider
Four Word Letter (Pt. Two)
Son of A Widow
C-Minor
O, Porcupine
Brownish
In a Sweater Poorly Knit
--- encore
January, 1979
