I never thought I’d get to see Neutral Milk Hotel live. It just seemed to far past the realm of possibility after all these years. I gave up on it ever happening. But then Jeff Mangum started to do some solo appearances, and soon enough full band tour dates followed. For the last week or so they played a whole set of New York City dates, and I was able to catch the final show Tuesday night at Webster Hall.
Fellow Athens, Georgia band Elf Power opened the show, as they did for all the New York shows. The band has been around nearly as long as Neutral Milk Hotel, and had a equally impressive set of songs that certainly warmed up the crowd. I’ll admit, I’m not as familiar with their stuff as I probably should be, but I enjoyed their set quite a bit.
To the surprise of no one Neutral Milk Hotel walked out to massive applause from the excited crowd. This is the type of show that music fans live for. Seeing a beloved band play a show that you never thought you’d attend. Not knowing if this would be your last chance to see them, you appreciate the show much differently. If we knew they’d be touring in a few years, you wouldn’t go into it the same way. But with a band like Neutral Milk Hotel, who knows what they will do next.
This tour saw the return of band’s original lineup (Jeff Mangum, Scott Spillane, Jeremy Barnes, Julian Koster) plus a few additional live musicians, one of which was Elf Power’s very own Laura Carter. “The King Of Carrot Flowers” Parts 1-3 kicked off the show, just as it does on the band’s ceremonial album In the Aeroplane Over The Sea.
The show was a greatest hits showcase, with the band playing all the best of their two monumental albums, as well as a few rarer cuts in between.
It was a thing of beauty and bewilderment to hear Jeff Mangum and the band play tracks like “Holland, 1945,” “Oh Comely,” and “Two-Headed Boy.” I remember randomly finding this album at my local library as a kid (when that was a thing) and being mesmerized by how unique and wonderful this album was. To hear “In the Aeroplane Over The Sea,” the albums’ magnum opus, was not something I can put to words. Sort of like a dream coming true. For lack of better words, it was amazing.
Mangum played each song with a quiet confidence that radiated throughout the room. Bassist Julian Koster handled many different instruments such as a handsaw that he played, which was insane to watch. Scott Spillane had the handle on many brass instruments, and when he wasn’t playing those, he was mouthing the words to almost every word of every song. The impact of drummer Jeremy Barnes didn’t get lost on me, as his powerful yet complimentary drumming had a huge impact on every song.
I’ll see many more concerts this year, but I’ll be hard pressed to find another show that is as special as this one I got a few snaps of the show, although Mangum pleaded with the crowed to just use their eyes, and to be present with him. Based on the general feeling of pure bliss that was shared amongst the audience, everyone got lost in the moment. It was a beautiful show of shared emotion and passing, I think everyone there lost a piece of themselves that night, and it was totally worth it.
Setlist:
Elf Power:
Neutral Milk Hotel:
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