I saw, heard, and felt tUnE-yArDs play at Webster Hall earlier this summer. There was an incredible amount of energy going through the venue before the eccentric mix of drumming and singing even began to fill its walls. The elaborate scenery on stage set the tone for a wacky adventure, with giant eyeballs and bright colors adorning the back wall. Merrill Garbus's background as a puppeteer shone just as brightly as roadies starting lugging out the band's equipment: a jungle gym of percussion instruments ranging from traditional toms and snares to a DIY-mix of water bottles and scraps of metal, as well as a keyboard stand that resembled some kind of strange tree-like Pokemon with eye-stalks. Before a single note is played, I already felt captivated by the performance-to-come. The crowd's whispers of anticipation suddenly erupted into excited hoots and hollers as the band finally made their appearance, adorned in florescent bright tones from head-to-toe. The effect was stunning under the black-light which lit the stage, and the group proved their dedication to visual splendor yet again! The most extravagant costume of all was that of Garbus herself: A teal dress with a kind of fish-scale texture with shimmering gold sleeves; around her neck lay a mantel of hot-pink feathers, resembling some kind of tutu for one's neck. It is clear to these performers that what the audience sees can be just as engaging and important as what they hear. The set proper began with the immediately-recognizable and heavy hitting chords of "Hey Life" off the newest album "Nikki Nack." The crowd's reaction was explosive, in only the way a group of twenty-somethings waiting for forty minutes to hear this inimitable group can be. Despite the fact our bodies were crammed tight in the venue like sardines, the high-energy tune put the urge to dance in my bones and dance I did, along with many other patrons at the show. The set moved on to "Gangsta," a song off the last album "whokill." Merrill began building the song from scratch, creating a vocal imitation of a police siren. The crowd almost immediately began to sing along with an admirable imitation of hers! With the aid of her trusty loop pedal, she constructed the catchy loop familiar to any real fan of tUnE-yArDs. The crowd was singing all of the parts as well, as if her loop pedal had been hooked up to us as a giant human amplifier. Merrill's ukulele, a staple sound which defined much of "whokill," found its way into the mix as well, a very pleasant surprise! Throughout the next two tunes, the band's newest members proved how invaluable they are as assets. In "Sink-o," Dani Markham KILLS her percussion parts, especially that jammy section at the end when she's nailing triplet subdivisions on point without batting an eyelash! In "Real Thing," vocalists Jo Lampert and Abigail Nesson-Bengson really stood out! My favorite moment of the song approaches the end in an epic breakdown, where Merrill and her lovely sirens trade off belting "real thing." The talent these ladies bring to the band really helped make this an unforgettable performance. The high-energy set then took a breath with slower songs like the delicate-to-fiery "Powa," (which included a very extended jam at the end) and "Time of Dark," a spacey tune in 6/4 which, while not a personal favorite, was performed wonderfully. These were followed up by a classic from "Bird-Brains" called "Real Live Flesh," which IS a personal favorite! I appreciate the group's flexibility, picking tunes from their whole discography and occasionally changing the ensemble's make-up to suit. It might be a good place to stop and mark that between some songs, there was plenty of wonderful banter. This included a reminder that a dollar from each of our tickets would be donated to the Haitian dance school out west from which they learned, in an effort to help the school actually visit Haiti! Onwards! After playing "Stop That Man," another track off the latest album, the group seemed to gang up in a little pow-wow. After a few moments, the group dispersed to their proper positions on stage. Merrill counted off, and tUnE-yArDs proceeded with what might have been their most impressive feat of the night: A vocal rendition of the opening to Bizness, a hurricane of pentatonic riffs flying back and forth between the singers that blew my mind! The rhythmic coordination to pull that off can only be the result of some amazing musicianship and long hours practicing as a group. "Water Fountain" was next, a tune which, in spite of its irony-tinged lyrical references to the bitter and dark realities of our society, may be the most genuinely fun song I've heard from the band yet! The song really highlights the syncretic nature of tUnE-yArDs; that is, the fusion of so many elements which might not otherwise come together: the Afro-Carribean feel of the syncopated percussion, the mash of nonsensical non-words combined with other vocables and even some other languages, the catchy and deceptively simple melodies Merrill creates, and how they interweave with each other later in the song... If you're going to listen to a song to call judgment on tUnE-, I'd personally recommend listen to this one. "Finally," Merrill announced the help from members of Roomful of Teeth, a vocal group based in NYC, to sing on the last song: "Find A New Way." When the extended ensemble began to play, it was honestly hard to hear what the new additions added... this was because everyone in the room was singing so loudly. Truly, this set went out with a bang and I couldn't imagine any other way to end such a great performance. ...apparently, however, Merrill could. After tons of applause, followed by the inevitable screams for more from an addicted audience, Merrill returned to the stage. With only her ukulele, she began playing Fiya, a song as soothing as a lullaby, from Bird-Brains. After over an hour of moving around to such big sounds, I only had the energy left to stand and watch and really listen to this woman and her uke make her sweet music. While it was incredibly different from the rest of the set, it seemed to make a lot of sense. The song built into a wailing climax, then a quick set of loops, then a sudden silence and the show was over. Merrill and the rest of the tUnE-yArDs gang have a very wonderful thing going on. Blending visual and aural elements, bringing in local artists, and overall just putting out a crazy amount of energy... This was up there on my list of greatest live performances I've been to. This review barely scathes the surface of the entire atmosphere, the energy and artistry of the performance... If you truly want to experience these things for yourself (and you do,) GO SEE TUNE-YARDS! ;D - Keith Lalley
Ravi Coltrane
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