8/12: Yeasayer @ Pier 54

I haven’t forgiven New York for closing McCarren Pool.  And by “closing” I do mean “opening.”  It was my favorite summertime activity and, consequently, one of my favorite things about living out here.  The peoplewatching was exquisite and it rarely felt overcrowded because there was so much fucking room.  But it had an intimate feel at the same time, in that you felt like you were a part of something.  It pulled fantastic acts for both free and paid shows, and it makes me sad to think about the place not being there anymore.

In comparison, Pier 54 sucks, which isn’t really much of a surprise.  It’s not the worst place I’ve ever been (I’m looking at you, Pianos) but it could certainly improve the sound, layout, location and beverage selection.  Regardless, a free Yeasayer show couldn’t be a bad thing unless, of course, they’re playing you-know-where.

All Hour Cymbals is a goddamn beautiful record from start to finish, which is a rare feat nowadays.  Because of that alone, I consider Yeasayer among the top of the indie cream of the music crop.  They opened with a couple of songs I didn’t recognize, then “Tightrope” off the Dark Was the Night album, then “Wait for the Summer,” which is one of the better songs off All Hour Cymbals.  I believe it was during this song that I heard an acoustic guitar being played, but didn’t see one.  And in the next song, I heard but did not witness hands clapping.

The unnecessary sampling bothered me slightly, but if that’s what they need to do in order to achieve the sound captured on their aforementioned record, then so be it.  It’s what produced 2080, one of my favorite songs of the past few years, which they of course played that night.  After 2080 they went into Red Cave, a song that goes a long way towards displaying their collective musical mastery, and ended the show after Sunrise and Forgiveness, all from All Hour Cymbals.

Yeasayer is not an outdoor band, and Pier 54 is not much of an outdoor venue.  But Yeasayer has a cache of impressive songs on which they can rely to significantly improve such a situation.  I enjoyed the show, but probably wouldn’t see them outside again.