Andrew Bird’s return to Kalamazoo greeted with enthusiasm

photos by: Bethany Bohlen/Western Herald

By Kalyn Golland
Western Herald

The Bird is back. Playing before a crowd at Kalamazoo’s State Theatre, Andrew Bird brought his one-man band back to town.

Serving as the opener for Bird’s act was the Texas-based, St. Vincent. Together the two brought the eagerly anticipating audience into their world of rhythm and melody.

The evening started with St. Vincent performing such samples from her albums as, “Actor Out of Work” and “Marrow.” The set was a mix of slow works with violin and flute though toward the end, the songs became a little more rowdy. For the last number, vocalist and lead guitarist Annie Clark and her backing band did their best to make every sound possible with the effects of their distortion pedals. The effect was a crescendo of sound that somehow managed to still have a catchy musical tune.

The man of the night stepped on stage to thunderous applause. Bird, sporting his trademark scarf and jacket, began his set by playing his violin in the fashion of a ukulele. Before continuing on with the night, Bird got comfortable and took off his shoes to more applause. You know you’re good when taking off your shoes warrants clapping. Only later did this first time Bird-watcher realize that this was another signature move. To better manipulate his looping pedals, Bird always plays in bright, flashy socks.

The performance itself became a sort of game, wondering what Bird would do or play next. Watching the show left the viewer in awe of the man’s multitasking capabilities. At any given moment, the multi-tasking musician would have his guitar strapped around his back while playing the violin and singing all at once. Bird’s incredible whistling ability cannot be forgotten as he switched from singing to a lilting whistle and back again. All the while Bird was able to record his notes then play them on a loop in order to play another instrument simultaneously with his recording.

Add in the florescent lighting and whirling trumpets for effect, and it makes for a one-man show quite unlike any other

“I cannot imagine playing one instrument, let alone all those… I could sit here all night and listen to him,” Carly Krieg, Western Michigan University student, said.

The night did have to come to an end, though, and it ended with an ensemble. Bird was joined onstage by St. Vincent, singing several songs together with a fervor that brought the crowd to its feet for the remainder of the show, and left the audience roaring for an encore.

The encore ended the show as simply as it had begun: with a lone spotlight on one man, playing his classical instrument that reverberated throughout the ornate auditorium.

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Posted by heraldstaff on Oct 19 2009. Filed under A & E. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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