Parquet Courts at Webster Hall (December 11, 2014)

2014 was the year of Parquet Courts. A lot happened since I saw them play a tiny show at The Acheron only a couple days into the year. They released two great albums within months of each other, and were Spin’s band of the year. They capped it all off with a sold out show at Webster Hall. Yeah, they’ve made it.

Traffic screwed me and I missed out on PC Worship, but I made it just in time to catch second opener Blues Control. Although their set leans towards the experimental side, they filled out the room quite nicely.

Parquet Courts have stepped up their game in pretty much every way this year, and that includes their live show. I’ve seen them a handful of times now, but this was easily their tightest, and most impressive outing. I was also impressed at how sold out the show actually was. This was one of the Webster Hall sellouts where you could barely walk behind the bar in the back of the floor. Not only that, but the band rocked the place so hard that many kids had to pick each other up from the ground after doing some heavy shoving back and forth (light moshing, if you will).

The slick “Bodies Made Of” kicked things off (after the opening riffage of “Up All Night”), making room for the confident rocker that is “Black and White.” The transition from “Master of My Craft” into “Borrowed Time” was even more epic than it is on record, sending the place into a frenzy.

They breezed through their 24-song set, which including a 4-song encore. I wasn’t shocked that they left out “Stoned and Starving,” but I’m a bit disappointed that they didn’t, as the room would have totally exploded from that energy. Even so, with a set as good as the one that they delivered, I can’t possibly complain.

1. Up All Night
2. Bodies
3. Black and White
4. Vienna II
5. Uncast Shadow Of A Southern Myth
6. Everyday It Starts
7. Dear Ramona
8. Master of My Craft
9. Borrowed Time
10. Careers in Combat
11. N Dakota
12. What Color Is Blood
13. No Ideas
14. Disney P.T.
15. Ducking & Dodging
16. Raw Milk
17. Into the Garden
18. Content Nausea
19. Light Up Gold II
20. Sunbathing Animal