Live Review: Built To Spill - 930 Club - Sunday 7/8

To kick off my live review posts on IA, I will be starting with the Built To Spill show at the 9:30 Club a couple of Sundays ago.

The Stay Lows

This show kicked off my run of 4 shows in 7 days, so I was pretty excited. The 9:30 Club isn't as personal as Black Cat is and the drinks cost more, but it fits more people and attracts bigger names, so I guess that it balances out. I have had hits and misses with opening bands so far this summer, so I was interested to see who Built To Spill had touring with them. Luckily for me, it was The Stay Lows, who are amazing. These guys are from Buffalo, NY and it was their last show with Built To Spill and man, did they bring it. Think Explosions In The Sky, except on speed.

They had 5 guys playing. 2 guitarists, a cello player, a drummer and a guy that played bass/guitar. The cello was an interesting choice, but it definitely blended really well and added a lot to the uniqueness of their sound. In true DC fashion, there were a few of us that were rocking out, moving around and dancing, while the rest of the crowd just kinda stood there and watched. To each his own I guess, but that seems boring to me. My favorite memory from the set was when the lead singer (who really only sang on one song) switched between bass and guitar mid set and played one of the best guitar solos that I have seen in a long time. Rock on fellas.

Built To Spill

Next up, was Built To Spill. I really enjoy them, because of how talented they are musically and how much time and energy they put into each song to make it sound perfect both musically and lyrically. I am also a sucker for songs that have more instrumental than they do singing, so Built To Spill is perfect in that respect as well. Doug, the lead singer, told us that they had been here a couple months before and I am guessing that is why they only played 3 songs from their newest album, You In Reverse and did not play "Goin' Against Your Mind" at all. That was kind of a downer because I didn't know their old stuff too well and that is one of their more well known songs. Other than those two things it was a pretty good set. Fortunately for me, they played my favorite song off the album "Messing With Time". It is a really fast paced hard rocking good time of a song and I was definitely going crazy out there, as was the rest of the crowd. The guys were on their game that night and played some great solos.

One thing I did note, however, was that Doug barely talked to the crowd at all and I overheard someone else say that out of the 3 other times that they have seen them, this time they talked the least. I don't really know why, but he seemed to warm up near the end of the show. The encore they played was one song, but was a little over 15 minutes long with minimal vocals inter spliced with solos from every single member. The encore had everyone on their feet dancing, building up the energy to one huge crescendo that had everyone begging for more at the end.

Both sets were really great, but for me I felt like The Stay Lows almost upstaged Built To Spill. They had great rapport with the audience and seemed to have even more enthusiasm than Built To Spill had. I am actually looking more forward to The Stay Lows coming back, than I am Built To Spill.

In related news, Built To Spill just released a single last week with two new tracks they just produced in their new semi-reggae style. The songs are also pretty political and slower paced than their more recent works. Check them out on iTunes for a preview.

The Stay Lows - Shooting The Breeze (Live)
Built To Spill - Messing With Time