Last night Levi’s booked Haim and Sleigh Bells as a solid 1-2 punch in celebration of the launch of their Live In Levi’s campaign. The show went down at Brooklyn Bridge Park, and was free to the public (via RSVP), but you had to wear a pair of levi’s denim in order to get in. They scanned our barcodes, and reminded us while we were on line that we needed to be wearing levi’s to get in, but no one actually checked to see if we were upon entry.
Doors were at 6:30 but the show didn’t kick off until about 8. The gap was filled in rather nicely by a DJ, who did a fantastic job. He played gems from LCD Soundsystem, Talking Heads, Chromeo, New Order. It was refreshing. Of course, Levi’s had to do their fair share of promoting before the show, including a large crowd photoshoot, and some pre-recorded Live In Levis video’s, which included a segment with Sleigh Bells leader Alexis Krauss.
With the sun starting to set, Sleigh Bells were first, playing what Krauss called their last show for a while. The set mainly featured new material from last year’s Bitter Rivals, a disappointing album that did nothing for me. The material didn’t translate any better live, dispute the bands high adrenaline approach. They play loud and are constantly moving on stage, but they didn’t captivate me at all. I’ve seen them a few times now, but their set last night was rather bland and forgettable. Maybe they’re just fatigued, but I found myself pretty bored and disappointed by the time they wrapped things up, although “A/B Machines” was a lot of fun.
Haim’s trajectory was always towards stardom, even before they released a proper studio album. So it’s no surprise that they’re already being booked for events put on by brands such as Levi’s, but you can’t help but wonder if they’ve been rushed into it all. Maybe not, as they seem perfectly suited for the big stages, and seem to have the confidence that should normally take years to achieve. They have now added an additional member on keys, which now makes them a 5-piece live.
Set opening “Falling” sounded a bit rough, but they worked through it and found a better groove by the time that they started playing “If I Could Change Your Mind.” While lead-singer/guitarist Danielle Haim seems to be the head of the trio of sisters, it was Este Haim who was the most vocal, complimenting the beautiful view that the skyline view of Manhattan provided as a backdrop. She also told us about how she used to love to eat Play-Doh as a kid, a story brought on by the smell of the fog, which she said smelled just like play-doh. She also spoke about how the band loves to just jam out when they’re home in California with friends, which led into a wonderfully executed jam-out by the girls.
While Haim’s popularity has been built on their 80s-inspired pop songs, I have found my favorite moments of theirs to be when they pull back the curtains and just rock the fuck out. Whenever they cut loose and brought out all the rock & roll stops, I though they excelled. It’s probably not a popular notion, but something I hope the band considers working into their future albums and shows more often, because they’re good at it. Danielle can rock a pretty mean guitar solo.
Both Haim and Sleigh Bells will be commanding larger stages as the years go on, so it was a good opportunity to see them take over a more intimate stage, even if you had to find a pair of Levi’s to do so.
Photos and setlists are posted below.
Haim:
1. Falling
2. If I Could Change Your Mind
3. Oh Well
4. Honey & I
5. Don’t Save Me
6. Forever
7. The Wire
8. Let Me Go
Sleigh Bells:
1. Minnie
2. Comeback Kid
3. Tiger Kit
4. Crown on the Ground
5. Bitter Rivals
6. Love Sick
7. Kids
8. Demons
9. You Don’t Get Me Twice
10. Infinity Guitars
11. Young Legends
12. Sing Like A Wire
13. A/B Machines
Sleigh Bells:
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