I had a friend named Prick Lachey who used to leave me voicemail messages from late night bars where he’d scream into the phone, “MmmmmmBEST DAY OF MY LIFE!” Those words pretty much sum up my Monsters of Folk experience.
Pretty strong words considering Ticketmaster took a metaphoric dump on my head with close to $30 in meaningless charges for 2 tickets. Still trying to figure out how they enhance my concert experience. Despite that, I can’t say enough good things about the show. It was held at the beautiful Auditorium Theatre in the heart of downtown Chicago. Jim James was even taken aback by the beauty of the venue, quipping that the rainbow-shaped lights overhead were “what it looks like when you die and go to heaven” before easing into a gorgeous rendition of Bermuda Highway with Will Johnson (of Centro-matic, who handled drums for the evening). The guys evenly dispersed solo efforts with full-band efforts as well as songs from the Monsters of Folk album with songs from previously released albums. They even kept things interesting by trading off verses on songs from their better-known bands.
The setlist was pretty varied, keeping fans of the individuals engaged throughout the 2.5+ hour set. My biggest complaint here was the amount of time Oberst spent on stage – I’m just not a fan. He had the most solo songs, perhaps because Mike Mogis accompanied him on stage for most and they wanted to make sure he got some well-deserved props.
Highlights of the night were a soulful version of Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.), a rocking Whole Lotta Losin’, plus Golden, Smokin’ From Shootin’, Chinese Translation, and Vincent O’Brien. M. Ward’s guitar-playing prowess was ever-evident – even prompting someone to comically yell “Why you so good!?” during a quiet moment between Ward’s solos. But Jim James was the standout for me – each song he played was incredible, his energy was phenomenal, and his singing was other-worldly.
And what about Teen Wolf in the title of this post? Well, my buddy joined me and dressed up as Teen Wolf for the show. Here’s a picture of him doing the spider dribble outside of the Auditorium Theater. I’ve never seen someone so popular in my life. No less than 15 people asked to have their picture taken with him after the show. We went to a bar post-show where he received a standing ovation. And I’m pretty sure he made out with Boof at the end of the night. “MmmmmmBEST DAY OF HIS LIFE!”
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
My first question is what did you go as? Other than that, it sounds like a killer show. And while not the biggest fan of Conor, he has his hands in a couple of really great albums this year.
Thanks for the review. Can’t wait to see them tonight.
I didn’t like Oberst to start off with. I actually couldn’t stand him. Then i heard his Bright Eyes Casadaga album. It’s so different form his other albums. It’s a lot more polished and upbeat. In my opinion, his best work. Then he did his solo stuff, and those 2 albums, I love as well. I still don’t really listen to his older stuff. Try that route and let me know what you think.
I saw MOF last night in Boston and it was magical.
We sat right behind Teen Wolf!!! We didn’t even notice until about a quarter through the show that the guy chuggin’ beers in front of us had super hairy arms…
Awesome show, I agree that Jim James was amazing and M. Ward tore it up.
I’m normally not an Oberst fan either, but I love him on the album. Temazcal is a great tune with great songwriting: “The love we made at gunpoint wasn’t love at all.”
Saw them at the Fox in Oakland and I agree with everything you just said. Conor is great but can’t hang with these guys in my mind. I wanted more from them as opposed to his long chorus-less meandering. Ward on guitar is just mind blowing, but his voice gets lost in the mix being so low and all with a full band (which is a shame, I LOVE everything he has done in studio except Duet for Guitars #2). Jim, of course, stole the show vocally because he is a secret inter-galactic ninja, and his voice can cut thru steel. Mike Mogus melted my face, love that they get him out there and make sure he is appreciated as an amazing performer as well as his less known roles producing and engineering.
Nice write up! Helped me re-live it a bit.
@ill_legible
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