portions for foxes

I'm really glad I went to the Rilo Kiley show at Richard's last night. It's one of the best shows I've seen all year.

The first opener was actually one of their sound guys that played acoustic by himself. I felt bad for him as he was very uncomfortable on stage. He kept mentioning how he couldn't hear himself amidst the chatting from the audience. I can't think of a time when I've watched a performer and could barely hear his music due to so many people talking during his performance.

The second opener was a band called The Brunettes from New Zealand. They're the best openers I've seen all year, and the best ones since Metric opened for Billy Talent last year. So much energy and life. So skilled and diverse. Many instruments were used in their performance. It's been awhile since I've seen musicians use windchimes and snap their fingers during songs. The blend of keyboards, clarinets, and trumpets compliemented their sound. They even wore masks on while performing one song. Their set lasted about 40mins and I was left amazed.

Rilo Kiley played for 1hr 20mins. From their opening chords to the closing moments of the show, their set was fantastic. I haven't seen a band sound so tight live since The Dears. Singer Jenny Lewis captivated the crowd with her emotional lyrics and the band brought everyone to life. Their performance of "Portions For Foxes" was a definite highlight, as well as many other numbers. "Does He Love You" ended their main set before they came back on with The Brunettes to play a cover song for their encore.

Funny how a week ago I hadn't heard anything from these guys. Now I'm completely surrendered to their beautifully crafted songs.