By: Neil Olstad
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| Eric Luoma of Elk - Photo by Stacy Sandstrom |
After being chased into the Entry Thursday night by sub-zero temperatures, the quickly filling room was treated to the refreshing sounds of local openers, Elk. The band consists of Eric Luoma of Bellwether fame, alongside his wife on keyboard/bells and the steel pedal guitarist, bassist and drummer from The Hangups. Elk, who served perfectly as an opener for Midlake, played a wonderfully balanced set of louder, rocking tunes and precise, down-tempo songs. The group’s pop sensibilities came through in many of the songs, conjuring up thoughts of Britain’s The Magic Numbers. With hopeful harmonies, searing steel pedal guitar, and Tweedy-esque vocals from Luoma, the band set up the crowd nicely for the rest of the evening.
Although technical difficulties set the show back about 30 minutes, St. Vincent took the stage next, facing a crowd starving for any type of musical entertainment. A female solo act who sings and plays guitar and keyboard, St. Vincent did not let the room down as she launched into “Bang Bang,” a startlingly elegant song about murdering your significant other. She was simply dynamic with her uncanny ability to flip the switch, transforming from innocent to sinister in a matter of moments. Her songs altered between loving piano ballads about marriage to menacing scorchers about death and homicide. St. Vincent’s Minnesota ties include spending last winter recording at the famed Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls, which she described as “like that Stanley Kubrick film ‘The Shining,’ only if it was a love story.” Being infinitely talented on a number of different instruments is one thing, but St. Vincent’s songwriting is what stands out. Her innovation and knack for beautiful melodies is truly remarkable, and the crowd simply ate it up.
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Tim Smith of Midlake - Photo by Stacy Sandstrom
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Midlake took the stage at about midnight, much to the delight of the near capacity room. Opening with “We Gathered in Spring,” and then cruising right along through standouts “Roscoe,” “Van Occupather,” and “Bandits” from 2006’s critically acclaimed The Trials of Van Occupanther. Over the course of their 70-minute set, Midlake eventually found its way through the entire record, adding only two songs off Bamnan and Silvercork, and one new song, “Children on the Grounds”. The crowd seemed to be loving the vintage ‘70s rock sound featured on their latest record.
Personally, I have never seen the Entry’s stage so packed to the gills with gear. With six keyboards, the band had enough octaves to stretch the length of the stage. Front man Tim Smith provided subdued, lethargic vocals through a sneering face and a clenched jaw. Five vocal microphones onstage means everybody sings, and this is clearly one of the bands strong points; it is not uncommon for Midlake to layer four-part harmonies throughout entire songs. The band sounded great, doing the incredible songs off their fantastic new record justice, while at the same time keeping them fresh in a live setting. Unfortunately, though Midlake’s sound is not one characteristic of energy and liveliness, the band could only provide enough excitement to last the first fourth of their set. After that, the five men from Denton, Texas started to get stale. It did not seem like they were having a good time on stage, especially as the clock ticked towards 1 a.m., when most of the band seemed flat out disinterested.
When all is said and done, Midlake is an incredibly talented band with great songs, but when it is time to bring those songs to the stage, the elements of emotion and stage presence are missing. When you are at a show and can close your eyes without missing a thing, something is wrong.
ELK SETLIST:
1. Belize
2. Slide Rule
3. Galaxy 12
4. Over the Pines
5. Somebody Else's Pills
6. Palisades
ST. VINCENT SETLIST:
1. Bang Bang
2. Your Lips Are Red
3. Marry Me
4. Human Racing
5. ???
6. Paris Is Burning
MIDLAKE SETLIST:
1. We Gathered in Spring
2. Roscoe
3. Van Occupanther
4. Bandits
5. In This Camp
6. Balloon Maker
7. Some of Them Are Superstitious
8. Children of the Grounds
9. Young Bride
10. Chasing After Deer
11. Head Home
*encore*
12. It Covers the Ocean
13. Branches
Location Info:
7th Street Entry
Artist Info: Elk, Midlake, St. Vincent
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