Fleet Foxes - Middle East Upstairs (Cambridge, MA; July 14, 2008)

Between the time tickets went on sale and Monday night’s concert at the Middle East Upstairs, Fleet Foxes released a highly acclaimed eponymous album, were asked to tour with Wilco, and were declared by many as pretty much the greatest thing to happen to American music in a long, long time. Confirmed by weeks’ worth of desperate pleas on craigslist’s tickets forum, the two hundred people crammed into the room recognized that it was a privilege to see Fleet Foxes in such a small venue. And, boy, was it a privilege.

Fleet Foxes kicked off the set with “Sun Giant” from the 2008 EP of the same name, their accapella harmonies immediately drawing the audience into their ecclesiastical spin on psych-folk rock. But the crowd didn’t need much convincing. While you could hear a pin drop during each piece, between songs, singer Robin Pecknold’s thank yous were drowned out by thunderous applause and cheers. In fact, of the dozens of shows I’ve seen at the Middle East, I can’t recall a more enthusiastic and gracious audience.

The band was likewise unusually cheery, mentioning that this was the first show in ages that they weren’t sick. At points, the mutual feel good vibe turned into giddy excitement. Personally, I felt most punch-drunk during “Blue Ridge Mountains,” astonished by the beautifully rich sound, and the absurdity of hearing it in such a dingy little room. The song deserves to be sung from great heights, its vocals and rhythms echoing through forests and along riverbanks, until the sounds meet each other in a great, mystical harmonic convergence. Certainly I wasn’t the only one closing my eyes, allowing that mountain-high to transcend the confining black box of the Middle East. Early in the set, the song earned one of the longest bits of sustained applause and corresponding Pecknold thank yous; both the crowd and the band grinned ear-to-ear, acknowledging the shared joy in the room.

Fleet Foxes seamlessly balance uplifting pieces with more temporal alt-country numbers, simple two-steps and acoustic folk solos. The most captivating point of the evening came with a solo in which Pecknold covered Judee Sill’s “Crayon Angels,” (recently recorded in the back of a car for Black Cab Sessions). Gratefully, Pecknold closed his eyes during the performance; my front row position - two feet from Pecknold - coupled with soul bearing lyrics, created an intimacy far too overwhelming for eye contact.

Adding to the spirited, giddy vibe of the evening, the band joked around between songs--reading the dessert menu from the abutting restaurant; contemplating themselves as old men doing blues covers of their own music. At one point someone yelled out “Flannel!” A nod to their fashion choice? their hometown of Seattle? their mountain boy reputation? Who knows? But it sparked a round of shouts from each band member, naming all sorts of performance wear, along with a story about Pecknold trying to buy a hat at Patagonia and his perceived irony of the store’s name and clothing line. Drummer Josh Tillman concluded the ridiculous stage banter saying, “We should get sick again, so we don’t talk so much.” But the audience disagreed. We would’ve been satisfied with Fleet Foxes performing an entire set of dessert menu options. As long as it was arranged in four-part harmonies.

Fleet Foxes’ album is now available from Sub Pop. Might I suggest you buy the vinyl? For $15, it’s a steal, as it includes both the self-titled LP and the EP Sun Giant, along with codes for digital download. Those breathtaking harmonies on “White Winter Hymnal” will not be lost on you audiophiles. 

review to your liking? You'll sweat:

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