Tag: palace theater

Glass Animals – Palace Theater 9/27

Posted on by kustradio

By: Ted Tiedemann 

Glass Animals performed to a sold out crowd at the Palace Theater for the first time this past September. As always, they had an elaborate set design adorned with palm trees, pineapples, colored lights, a pineapple disco ball, and the letters GA in large 8-bit font hung above them. The band presented an upbeat, energetic set that got everyone dancing, which is typical at a Glass Animals show. David Bayley, the front man, engaged in his usual bouncy antics, dancing from one side of the stage to the other, singing while standing amongst the crowd, and letting his inner child out on stage. Their performance was no short of incredible; all of the members bring a high tier of musicianship and talent to the table. Joe Seaward is an underrated drummer in the indie rock/pop world and his live performance shows his precise skill and passion he contributes to the show. On the song “Cane Shuga,” he plays a syncopated beat seamlessly with super clean trap hi-hat rhythms, and in a live scenario it’s mesmerizing. Both Drew MacFarlane and Edmund Irwin-Singer handle all of the synths, guitars and samples to create a kind of symphony that’s rooted heavily in hip hop, indie, and culture. 


Unfortunately the show suffered some mixing issues; the midi instruments were too quiet, low and high frequencies were too hot which cut out essential mids. Despite some sound issues, the band persevered and played a high energy show. David Bayley evoked images of Thom Yorke’s wild dancing, and felt loose enough to improvise some falsetto runs on various tracks. Both Drew and Edmund improvised melodic motifs in their most popular songs to add intrigue to the live show. Above all that, what made the show feel so much more intimate was the fact that they had Joe playing drums to the side rather than behind the band. This setup felt more like I got a better sense of each individual member and what they contributed, rather than having the focus always be the singer. Much of their live show consists of a subtle tweak to the formula of having a good live show, and subtle breaking of the rules that make them stand out as an indie band. There is no doubt that Glass Animals are a tight outfit that will definitely last due to their solid live shows.

Fleet Foxes – Palace Theater 9/30

Posted on by kustradio

By: Mitchell Roers

Few artists succeed in sounding as good live as they do on their studio produced albums. Being used to listening to an album that has been tweaked and perfected in a studio environment, as well as the challenges that go with perfecting a band’s on-stage sound commonly leads to fans experiencing an artist they viewed as “not as good live.” There was no such feeling, however, when Fleet Foxes took the stage at Palace Theater this past Saturday, where the Seattle based Indie Folk band took the audience on stroll through the serene Autumn landscape they crafted throughout the night, which also included some of the best live production I’ve ever experienced.

Although the band is coming off a four year hiatus, which is the result of the departure of drummer/percussionist Josh Tillman (who has since found much success as a solo artist under the alias Father John Misty), as well as frontman and group leader Robin Pecknold quietly enrolling as an undergrad at Columbia University, the band hasn’t missed a beat. In this massive eighteen song set (followed by a three song encore), the group wowed the audience both with their awe-inspiring full band sound, as well as with intimate solo acoustic performances by Pecknold. Musically, the band did everything they needed to to create fantastic sound quality. The mix/levels of the instrumental and vocal sounds was perfect, which was ever present on songs such as Helplessness Blues and Third of May. The blend between Robin’s voice and the backup vocals was smooth and complimentary, creating some beautiful natural vocal harmonies. Furthermore, the sheer musicianship and professionalism of each member of the band was indistinguishable, reminding us that this was a band worthy of all the critical acclaim they’ve received throughout the last decade.

The visual production of the show was minimal, but effective. The few abstract set pieces on stage (which to me looked like they were supposed to resemble mountains), the subtle light show, and the unique and interesting on-screen avant-garde visuals combined to create an atmosphere that appeased concert goers, while making sure to not take away from the music. All in all, Fleet Foxes shined in providing the perfect show to kick off October and connect with both the diehards and casual listeners in the crowd, making sure fans left Palace Theatre feeling euphoric and with a smile on their face.

Highlights: Helplessness Blues, Blue Spotted Tail, Ragged Wood, Battery Kinzie, The Shrine/An Argument, Third of May/Ōdaigahara

TL/DR: Fleet Foxes triumph at sold out Palace Theatre performance, combining excellent sound production with unparalleled musicianship to create the perfect autumn concert experience.