BY IAN HRABE
Though I longed to find the crowd at the Record Bar sitting cross-legged on the floor, as I did the last time Low played here, the place was surprisingly packed. And packed with the exact kind of perfectly attentive people that a Low show requires (with the exception of the standard "the band is quiet so we will jabber" people at the back near the bar).
For some reason, Low decided to randomly grace KC last night with the first show on a three-date micro-tour, and it was easily my #1 contender for Show of the Summer.
Given that Low doesn't have an album to tour in support of (their latest, Drums and Guns, came out two-and-a-half years ago), the set list had an incredible mix of old stuff, new stuff, really old stuff and brand new stuff, even culling two tracks from their debut LP, 1994's I Could Live in Hope.
The drum machine prominently featured on most of the songs from Drums and Guns was completely absent, which led to hauntingly beautiful (and often incredibly slowed down) renditions of "Always Fade," "Dragonfly" and "In Silence."
"Like a Forest," one of the highlights from Things We Lost in the Fire lost a lot of the sadness of the recording and came out as an absolutely euphoric pop song without sacrificing any of its original elegance.
During the opener, "Shots & Ladders," I was amazed at the amount of noise Mimi Parker could conjure by just beating a couple of mallets on a floor tom and a cymbal, and how even through the simplicity of it all her drumming came off as the most integral part of that song.
Watching Alan Sparhawk's face contort like a preacher gone off the deep end and telling God I might need someone to do my dirty work on "Murderer" was chilling and caused me to fawn over the way Sparhawk is able to discuss religion (he and Parker are Mormons) in his songs with such grace.
Perhaps Low's finest asset is Parker and Sparhawk's harmonies, which are so precise as to be scientific. This was best evidenced during "Sunflower," where the harmonies are so perfectly calculated to create the desired emotional impact that it results in this one being their most affecting song.
In addition to pulling out deep cuts from albums past, they played a couple of new ones too with varying success. "My Love (Is for Free)" sounded like vintage Low, and I only found out it was brand new after looking it up when I got home. The other, new one which featured Sparhawk singing the line I'm nothing but heart (or maybe hope) for five minutes, was the only part of the set that dragged. However, this was quickly forgiven when he took the mic to deliver some trademark humorous Low banter. "We've been working on the lyrics to that one for six months," he said. "The second line's been a real bitch."
I'd hoped for more banter (which is a rare, rare occurrence, but Sparhawk's humor is perfect for undercutting the super-seriousness of the songs), but it seemed to be for the best that it was mostly absent. They seemed on their game and reluctant to break the flow of things.
Despite the fact that I've napped to Low records countless times (as anything dubbed "slowcore" automatically screams "nap music"), Low's live show is extremely engaging. I'm still trying to figure out how this works, and how I spent an hour and a half agog and enraptured.
For some reason, I don't expect a married couple that look like someone's parents and make sad, slow records to be so full of energy. I mean, last time I saw them play KC, I spied Sparhawk intently looking through a rack of old science-fiction paperbacks at the Half Price Books by the Record Bar before the show.
They're also a band who dressed up and played as a Misfits tribute band one Halloween (and recorded a few of their own songs in the style of the Misfits at that show, which can be found on the A Lifetime of Temporary Relief compilation).
How these seemingly normal, funny, clever people put on one of the most emotionally powerful shows I've ever seen is a mystery to me, and perhaps it's best left that way.
Set List
Shots & Ladders
My Love (Is For Free) (New Song)
Sunflower
In Silence
Silver Rider
Dragonfly
Always Fade
Canada
Slide
Like a Forest
New Song (All I am is Heart)
Murderer
Sea
Violent Past
Cue the Strings
Encore
Cover (did anyone catch who it was by?)
Dinosaur Act
Showing 1-4 of 4
Whoops, typographical error. It was late. I don't know how I messed that up though, I've heard that song at least 50 times in my life. Been meaning to check out the documentary for a while now! Will do!
Another correction, the lyrics to "Murderer."
The meaning of that song has been a point of contention for the band and for critics who can't let go of the idea that they're religious.
It's not "I might need someone to do my dirty work." It's "You may need a murder...someone to do your dirty work." The character's talking to god.
Check out the documentary You May Need A Murderer. Alan talks about it in depth. It's a really amazing film.
A few corrections and notes:
Your set list isn't quite right. I have Low's handwritten set list (signed) from last night. They didn't play Slide, but instead the song was Shame, and they played it after Dragonfly. There was no song between Canada and Like a Forest.
So that means they only played one song from I Could Live in Hope. Shame is from Long Division.
The second new song is definitely not Hope, but Heart, as that's what Alan wrote on the setlist.
I think it's humorous that song #2, My Love Is For Free, is on the setlist as "$20" -- that's a Low inside joke for you.
My wife and I have been trying to recall the artist's name or any lyrics from the first song of the encore, but we've come up empty so far.
Mimi told me that the reason for this three stop tour is because they were invited to open for Spoon in Austin (July 10), and thought it was a great opportunity. So they booked two other shows along the way. We were lucky that they picked KC!
I've been to six Low shows since 1998, and I didn't think this was their best. I definitely enjoyed it, but the bar crowd was much louder than I expect at a Low show. The quiet parts of songs got drowned out by the chatter. I also think the noise distracts Alan and throws him off a bit. But overall it was still a great show, and I appreciate your review.
Thanks,
Jason Miller
Newton, Kansas
like
dislike
