Show Recap: Andrew Bird [Millennium Park, Chicago, 9/3/08]

There's something about free shows that is so invigorating and refreshing . Maybe the crowd feels more relaxed and less like there's an absolute necessity to have a good time because there was no money exchanged at the door or whatever. Of course it could also have something to do with playing a show in an outdoor park at night at a venue that's among the best in the world for experiencing live music. And yes, if you couldn't tell, I have an extremely high regard for Chicago's own Millennium Park as a starkly beautiful and perfect-sounding concert venue. But Andrew Bird played there last night, for free, and because I could not resist I shall spend a short time talking about it.

As Millennium Park is primarily used for "cultural events" like symphony performances and the like, once a year or so they let the indie kids in to play. Last year it was a free Decemberists show (plus an expensive Wilco show), and this year it's a free Andrew Bird show. Though Chicago is his hometown, Andrew Bird does draw a slightly smaller crowd than The Decemberists did, and while still nearly full, I was able to snag a seat near front and center of the stage simply by showing up 15 minutes before the set started. I saw this as a good sign, along with the interesting mix of young adults and the over-50 set that seemed genuinely curious as to what this "Andrew Bird guy" was all about.

The set started off as classy as one might expect in such a venue- with a beautiful instrumental passage performed by Bird on the violin and using his looping equipment to build a healthy-sounding orchestra by himself. Surely I should've been wearing a tuxedo for such a high society evening filled with free violin concertos. After that first song though, Bird kicked off his shoes and started playing songs from his albums. "Why?" was a great way to start the set following the instrumental, and it felt almost like a natural transition from one thing to the other. Bird was performing by himself still, but told the crowd his band was coming out once he finished playing a song by one of his absolute favorite Chicago artists, Handsome Family. So we were all treated to a cover of "The Giant of Illinois," which he plays virtually every time he's in Chicago and always does it justice.

The band emerged for "Fiery Crash" of course, which is a song that deserves to have a band behind it. The stage banter before "A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left," in which Bird discussed how he no longer gets nervous or the shakes before performing but he does have tics and spasms whenever he returns to his hometown of Chicago, felt a little forced and ::cough::untrue::cough::, but we shouldn't let that stand in the way of a tic-filled performance of the song, should we? Let's not cast Andrew Bird in a movie, because I'm pretty confident acting is not his strongest suit. I'm not going to say it wasn't amusing to watch the guy continuously move his head away from the microphone for a song though.

As you may be aware, Bird has been long at work on a new album, which he said at the show would be released in January. He did play 2 new songs from that still-untitled (officially) album, both of which he's done in concert before. If you went to the Outside Lands Festival last weekend you also witnessed a performance of "The Master Swarm," which is a delightful song that fits in perfectly with the rest of the guy's catalogue. So too did "A Non-Animal" (a song that's been bouncing around in a live setting since mid-2007 and is estimated to also be the title of the new album) work to that effect, and of course everybody enjoyed it.

Two songs were of particular note during the set. First of all, this performance had video screens which are typically never there, but Oprah had shot an episode of her show (with tons of Olympic athletes) at the park earlier in the day, so the screens were put in for that and left up. This served to Andrew Bird's benefit, in particular on the "Weather Systems" track "Lull," which made full use of the freshly animated new video for the song that premiered earlier this summer. The story of love between man and a sea creature is heartbreakingly beautiful just watching it online, but when brought into the live setting it takes on a new, greater power. It made for a very special experience. Then there was the rollicking performance of "Fake Palindromes," which is just the sort of song to get a crowd energized. When I said earlier there was electricity in the air at this show, I meant it. Most everybody bum-rushed the stage during this song, giving up all their seats either in the pavilion or on the lawn just to stand in the aisles or the area against the front barricade, as everybody had been sitting in designated areas until this point. Many of the older people I saw sitting around me got up quickly and left, seeming to be apprehensive about having to stand for the rest of the set with all these crazy kids jumping around and cheering loudly after every song. But it was a joy and a pleasure to see everybody storm to the front and just celebrate the music. "Thanks you guys," Bird said. "I really needed that."

Things went slightly wrong at points. Near the beginning of the set, Bird told the crowd that his violin had basically "exploded" right before the show and that it's been "barely put back together." Everything sounded fine until about the halfway point, when a violin string snapped. "Well, my violin just exploded again," Bird said. "I guess we won't be playing any more high notes tonight." And of course he kept on keeping on, even when his bow lost a whole bunch of strings as well, leaving the whole thing looking like a mess but still sounding nothing short of excellent. It was only natural, then, that Bird pulled out his kids classic "Dr. Stringz." I had quite the good chuckle myself, though most everyone else looked bewildered at what was going on.

To wrap all this up, Andrew Bird delivered with another live performance of the highest quality. It was also a whole lot of fun, and I think the crowd felt the same way I did. If you've got the chance to see him on his fall tour, by all means do. The occasion is always special when Bird plays his hometown, but the greatness of his shows are by no means dependent on where he's at on a given day. And of course the looping, whenever you get the chance to witness a multi-instrumentalist pull it off right, is always amazing to experience. Do I even need to mention the whistling? I still have no idea how the guy is able to reproduce that great on-album whistling on stage (unless he's lip-synching...?). I'll leave that to blind conjecture.

Here's the set list from the show. You may notice one song is missing [EDIT: Missing song has been filled in, thanks to the commenter. I suspected it was "Skin Is, My" but wasn't 100% positive and didn't want to put in the wrong info]. I was kinda sorta dealing with some crazy people who had invaded my space during the stage rushing mid-"Fake Palindromes" so I didn't have a chance to take notice of what was played. If you were at the show and know what song goes in that "????" space, leave it in the comments or email me or something. Or I'll figure it out on my own and update it as such. Look for me to post a full download of this show coming up in the next couple weeks as well, because it was broadcast live on the radio and online so most assuredly somebody I know will have captured the audio. When I get it, you'll get it, rest assured. [EDIT: SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS ON FULL SHOW DOWNLOAD]

Andrew Bird @ Millennium Park: 9/3/08
Intro
Why?
The Giant of Illinois (Handsome Family cover)
Fiery Crash
A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left
Opposite Day
The Master Swarm (new)
Plasticities
Armchairs
A Non-Animal (new)
Lull
Imitosis
Dr. Stringz
Fake Palindromes
Skin Is, My
Tables and Chairs
***encore***
Some of These Days (acapella)
Weather Systems

UPDATE: THE FULL SHOW IS NOW UP FOR DOWNLOAD! CLICK HERE NOW!

Andrew Bird- Heretics
Andrew Bird- A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left
Andrew Bird- Fiery Crash (left click)
Andrew Bird- Imitosis (Four Tet Remix) (left click)

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Labels: andrew bird, concert, set list