Spring Break
Fleet Foxes sell out Crystal Ballroom on Easter
Group to play show in Eugene Wednesday
Tim Pfarr
Issue date: 4/17/09 Section: Diversions
Seattle-based rock band Fleet Foxes drew a full house of screaming fans to Portland's Crystal Ballroom on Sunday, and subsequently serenaded them with airtight harmonies and majestic melodies.
The group took the stage appearing as if they had recently escaped from the Appalachian Mountains (with the exception of the clean-shaven, Adidas-wearing lead guitarist Skyler Skjelset, who looks like Michael Cera), but the heavy beards and big boots didn't prevent them from putting on a flawless show.
"I think we've played more times in Portland than in Seattle," the band's front man Robin Pecknold told the crowd. The audience sang along all night to a set list that included "White Winter Hymnal," "Mykonos," and "Blue Ridge Mountains." The group also played three brand new songs.
On the band's records, Fleet Foxes' baroque rock music makes listeners feel as if they are riding a galloping horse across the European countryside, but the group's live performance feels slightly more modern, as it lacks the heavy reverberation and woodwinds found on the group's album tracks. Regardless, the band is incredibly slick live, and Fleet Foxes' four-part vocal harmonies continue to blanket the music, layering one addictive melody on top of another.
Midway through Fleet Foxes' set, Pecknold's bandmates left the stage to allow Pecknold to perform several songs alone with an acoustic guitar.
Among the songs Pecknold performed alone was a new song, and Pecknold warned that the song was not yet finished. However, it is unlikely anyone would have noticed it was a work in progress had he not said anything; Pecknold performed the song as if he had already been practicing it for years.
The rest of the band then joined Pecknold on the stage once more to finish their set as well as joke with the audience. At one point between songs, the band members began discussing Pecknold's 12-string guitar (which has double the strings of a typical guitar), and drummer Josh Tillman suggested he double his drum set and himself to go with the trend.
"That would allow me to dominate," Tillman said.
The show concluded with an encore and big thanks to the opening act, Portland favorite Blitzen Trapper, which opened the show with a 30-minute set. The six-piece band kicked the night off by rocking the ballroom with catchy guitar riffs and soulful keyboards.
Blitzen Trapper has toured with Fleet Foxes before, and the two groups will be returning to Oregon for a show at Eugene's McDonald Theatre next Wednesday, April 22. Both bands will also be performing at the Sasquatch! Music Festival on Memorial Day weekend at The Gorge in George, Wash.
Fleet Foxes and Blitzen Trapper have sold out many of their venues on their West Coast tour, including the 2,000-seat Fillmore in San Francisco, so be sure to get your tickets soon if you want to catch them in Eugene next week. You won't regret it.
Tim Pfarr
diversions@dailybarometer.com
The group took the stage appearing as if they had recently escaped from the Appalachian Mountains (with the exception of the clean-shaven, Adidas-wearing lead guitarist Skyler Skjelset, who looks like Michael Cera), but the heavy beards and big boots didn't prevent them from putting on a flawless show.
"I think we've played more times in Portland than in Seattle," the band's front man Robin Pecknold told the crowd. The audience sang along all night to a set list that included "White Winter Hymnal," "Mykonos," and "Blue Ridge Mountains." The group also played three brand new songs.
On the band's records, Fleet Foxes' baroque rock music makes listeners feel as if they are riding a galloping horse across the European countryside, but the group's live performance feels slightly more modern, as it lacks the heavy reverberation and woodwinds found on the group's album tracks. Regardless, the band is incredibly slick live, and Fleet Foxes' four-part vocal harmonies continue to blanket the music, layering one addictive melody on top of another.
Midway through Fleet Foxes' set, Pecknold's bandmates left the stage to allow Pecknold to perform several songs alone with an acoustic guitar.
Among the songs Pecknold performed alone was a new song, and Pecknold warned that the song was not yet finished. However, it is unlikely anyone would have noticed it was a work in progress had he not said anything; Pecknold performed the song as if he had already been practicing it for years.
The rest of the band then joined Pecknold on the stage once more to finish their set as well as joke with the audience. At one point between songs, the band members began discussing Pecknold's 12-string guitar (which has double the strings of a typical guitar), and drummer Josh Tillman suggested he double his drum set and himself to go with the trend.
"That would allow me to dominate," Tillman said.
The show concluded with an encore and big thanks to the opening act, Portland favorite Blitzen Trapper, which opened the show with a 30-minute set. The six-piece band kicked the night off by rocking the ballroom with catchy guitar riffs and soulful keyboards.
Blitzen Trapper has toured with Fleet Foxes before, and the two groups will be returning to Oregon for a show at Eugene's McDonald Theatre next Wednesday, April 22. Both bands will also be performing at the Sasquatch! Music Festival on Memorial Day weekend at The Gorge in George, Wash.
Fleet Foxes and Blitzen Trapper have sold out many of their venues on their West Coast tour, including the 2,000-seat Fillmore in San Francisco, so be sure to get your tickets soon if you want to catch them in Eugene next week. You won't regret it.
Tim Pfarr
diversions@dailybarometer.com
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