An Open Letter(s) to Touring Partners Titus Andronicus and Okkervil River

From: The Department of Owning Up to Never Having Seen Either Bands Live Before

Dear Titus Andronicus from Glen Rock, New Jersey,

I liked you!

I may have heard stuff that sounds exactly like yours all through the slack 90s, but you remind me of highschool. Like if the TV show Freaks & Geeks and all its characters, and everything goofy and some things cool ACTUALLY CAME TO LIFE and formed a band.

PunkSkateRamones and some bits of melody music? Okay! And Amy Klein, all bouncing around in your ripped jean shorts, metal frizz hair, all smiles and thrashing and foot-up on amps rock posing? Cheesygood! And when you played your electric blue violin while you had your guitar slung over your back? YOU WERE MY FAVOURITEST. No, really, you were. You are awesome.

And when we all shouted along to the very 9^th grade “You Will Always Be a Loser”? That was good too. ‘Cos it was dumb fun. And you had lots of energy. And you didn’t take yourselves too seriously…and it didn’t matter that you were shouting out of tune in bits, cos that’s what’s you DO. The songs demand it.

Which brings me to….

Dear Okkervil River, from Austin, Texas,

Yeah, I guess I kinda liked you.

But everyone in the first few rows standing up seemed to like you a lot more than I did, which is good. For them. Glad they had a nice time. (Not sure past the first few rows, however. Some people back there looked little more than “mildly engaged.” ) Your new album I Am Very Far is rather also quite good, so why were you just average? It took you a while to warm up and, you know, if you don’t shoot fast
from the draw, you risk losing us. Hey look! Shiny object!

“A Girl in Port” sounded beautiful, and I smiled when some girl broke your quiet, Will Sheff, by yelling “I Love You!” When the crowd swooned and THREE people held up lighters during “A Stone”? Nice. “Show Yourself” was enormous and the fast clapping by both you and audience in  “Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe” was sweet (as was your clear approval of dreadlocked dude in 2nd row smoking a big fat blunt). And the guy in back playing, like, 10000 different instruments? Yeah, I can dig.

But “Lost Coastlines” sounded way better on the album. “Piratess” sounded flat. “John Allyn Smith Sails”…mild engagement. And, umm, sorry, but Will and Patrick? Was it just me or were you singing out of tune for a bunch of the songs? No. It wasn’t just me.

Anyway, it was a good show. It just wasn’t a great show. And you may wanna wear in-ears for some of those harmonies. You dig?

Sincerely,
BackstageRider \m/