Next week New York City heroes Interpol will release their new album El Pintor (via Matador Records). To celebrate the album, and their hometown fans, they set up an intimate set of shows to take place this week. Tonight they played a show at The Met’s Temple of Dendur, a rare occurrence at the beautiful historic space (they play Bowery Ballroom on Thursday) that was sold out in mere minutes.
It was a true celebration, with free drinks and some finger snacks provided to all in attendance. It was my first time catching a show at The Temple of Dendur, so naturally, I was curious as to how they were going to set up the stage. As I found out, it was strategically placed in the area between the temple and the water that sits near the entrance. Although their set at Governors Ball this summer was a easy highlight at the festival, it was no comparison with the unique environment that surrounded me tonight.
There was no opener to be found, just a full set from the band who we were all there to see. The always magical “Untitled” opened the show, and became that much more majestic in the historic room. In fact, it was the first time they had played the Turn On the Bright Lights opener since 2011 (according to setlist.fm). Being a hometown show, fans were truly appreciative of getting to hear the track, as well as the many old school wonders that they unleashed on us, sharing their own bit of history in a room overflowing with it.
“Leif Erikson” and “Length Of Love” followed suit, establishing the mood and running off with the night. Naturally, they made room for El Pintor cuts such as single “All The Rage Back Home,” as well as “Same Town, New Story” and “My Desire.” But most of the night was filled with deeper cuts such as “The Lighthouse” (also the first time played since 2011), “Take You On A Cruise” and “Not Even Jail.” Then there were the more crowd-pleasing throwbacks such as “Hands Away,” “Narc,” and “Say Hello To The Angels.” I was worried about how it would all sound in the room, but it sounded fine for the most part, even with a bit of muddiness here and there.
It’s not every day you get to play at The Met. Interpol showed their gratitude through the many shared smiles of the night, as well as the high energy performance that carried on from the moment they stepped on stage, to the finishing touches that appropriate closer “NYC” brought as the 1-song encore.
While the 14-song set seemed to breeze on by at an unfair pace, it was an unforgettable show that all in attendance will treasure forever. If you’re going to Bowery Ballroom on Thursday, just know you’re going in for an equally awesome performance, one that you’ll be talking about for some time.
Setlist and more photos from the night posted below.
1. Untitled
2. Leif Erikson
3. Length of Love
4. My Desire
5. Hands Away
6. Narc
7. Lights
8. All the Rage Back Home
9. Take You on a Cruise
10. The Lighthouse
11. Same Town, New Story
12. Not Even Jail
13. Say Hello to the Angels
Encore:
14. NYC
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