Gig reviews: Nada Surf, Ezra Furman

I'm back home yet again and I have to say that I'm completely emotionally, and otherwise, exhausted. Departing from a loved one multiple times per year is neither pleasant nor healthy. It's going to be hard writing about this show now, since it was part of the birthday present I received from my girl so it is coming along with some nice personal memories which are, at the moment, making me utterly sad.

This exquisite concert was held last Friday, namely 19 October 2012, in "Tivoli Oudegracht", Utrecht, the Netherlands. The said venue is basically a sibling of "Tivoli De Helling", the place where I saw "Russian Circles" and "Deafheaven", which was covered in a review found here. Located some good fifteen minutes walk away from the city's train station, the venue is placed in a rather large street which you can't miss. Aside of the exterior which is nicely melded with the surrounding buildings, the interior of the venue is almost the same as seen in the previous show place. A spacious, dimly lit room with a bar and a big stage definitely reminded me of the sister-venue, later even surpassing its overall sound quality and proving to be a really great place to host a gig.

First to grant musical life to the big concert room that night was Ezra Furman, a singer/songwriter hailing from Chicago. Walking on stage wearing a dress and sunglasses, Ezra picked up his guitar and provided a nice half an hour performance. I have to say that the set didn't have my entirely devoted attention due to the fact that I was being flabbergasted by my woman next to me, guilty, and that I was utterly anxious and excited about seeing "Nada Surf" afterwards. Needless to say, tunes managed to pour into my ear and what I heard had its interesting moments. The guitar playing was truly awesome, clashing between gentle melodies and passionate violent outbursts. I wasn't really tuned into the singing, since at times it wasn't my cup of tea, but other moments it did grasp my liking. Lyrics seemed to touch a vast array of themes, from being funny and witty to provocative and aggressive, yet always remaining sincere and somehow fragile. Truth be told, I was never that much into singer/songwriters, so I presume that is why my attention wasn't that much focused. Still, I noticed a lot of people loving Ezra's performance live, so you should all definitely check his tunes out and support him, I'm sure you'll love his work.

After a tiny break it was time for "Nada Surf". Although there exists a long history behind that band name, I've initially heard about the project earlier this year thanks to my girlfriend. She had the privilege to grab their gig back in February when they also played in the Netherlands, so when I heard her impressions of the show, as well as reveling in their music almost nonstop at her place, I instantly fell for the band. What I found appealing the most about this alternative rock trio/quartet is the fact that they got thoroughly nested in my brain the very second I took a listen to their music. The love just kept growing on me over time, especially when you realize how well composed their songs are and how many superb, as well as unique, melodies they can carry. Normally, all that love made me harbor huge expectations for the upcoming show and it was no surprise that the band completely lived up to its name and blew my mind away. The red ribbon was cut with one of my favorite songs, "Clear Eye Clouded Mind" and it made my jaw roll around the floor. The track was executed so perfectly and with such amazing energy, showing the crowd that we are in for a thrilling ride. "Do It Again" and "Weightless" followed soon, continuing in a marvelous manner. It was wonderful seeing the band members smiling and just radiating with positiveness along with the excellent sound they made. There was a lot of movement on stage, the members even performing a brief dance at one point. Later during the set "Killian's Red" was also performed and this tune definitely seems like the band's masterpiece when witnessed live. On recordings the song is impacting and powerful in its own right, but in concert it was simply overwhelming. During this piece everyone could realize how well-crafted their music is, with multiple moods entwining in a single track and rushing with a remarkable flow. "Whose Authority", "Jules and Jim", "When I Was Young" and "Teenage Dreams" were just some of the songs which were also played, crafting an amazing lengthy performance. For the entirety of the set I was amazed at the quality and clearness of the sound, the venue definitely grasping my liking. There are several videos of the performance online, so check them out and you can be the judge for yourself when it comes to the breathtaking sound. Sadly, in the end, we had to miss the last song because of our train, which we caught in the last possible second, but leaving to the sound of "Blankest Year" was equally enjoyable and nice.

All in all, this was a spectacular evening on so many levels. I hope you can excuse me for the rather short or incoherent review, I simply have too much personal emotions flooding my mind and it's really hard to write it all down right now. I'd like to thank the bands for playing and providing the crowd with an amazing evening and, of course, I have to thank my wonderful girl for taking me out and making me abnormally happy, as always.
On a small side note, as I mentioned in the previous reviews, this is the last gig I will be attending in a while, so there will be some interviews and album release reviews coming up next. Hope you enjoyed the show review season on the blog, stay tuned!