The Antlers

07/01/2014 @ Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis, MN. "This show is completely sold out. Seriously." read the sign on the door outside of Triple Rock as we walked up to the venue. Once inside, it appeared just that as standing space was scant and the bartender was on call the entire night. Yellow Ostrich came out first and performed an upbeat show to get the crowd cheering. The social aspect of Yellow Ostrich showed their excitement in the lead singers' comments such as, "you didn't have to cheer there, but you did so we thank you!" and witticisms of "Antlers are up next, you should really stick around for that." The Antlers took a dark stage of blue overhead light and two band-made chandeliers on either side. They played a majority off of their new album getting cheers from a crowd that, between songs, was more silent than I think I've ever heard a sold out concert (however this silence had a eerie and obvious sense of respect toward the band as they were very quiet between songs as well...)
There was a slight hiccup toward the middle of the set when the main amp "exploded" and a hiatus was taken to replace the fallen equipment. The keyboard/trumpet player took this as an opportunity to get to know the crowd and kindly explained that sometimes "amps just explode like that..." I must say as an avid fan I fell in love with the band through their 2011 release of "Burst Apart" and found myself saddened that not one song was played from that album as they left the stage from what was a very long set. They were cheered back on stage and triumphantly made my night with two wonderful renditions of "I Don't Want Love" and "Putting the Dog to Sleep," bringing me right back to that happy place I had been in when they opened for The Shins a few years prior...
Gratefully they left to a roomful of applause and promised to be back soon - let's hope that's the case! Favorites: Full band jamming instrumentals of "Putting the Dog to Sleep" Impressive trumpets that is so much more impressive live than on the album. Funny: Silence in the room as one person in one place accidentally shuffled a beer can on the ground, making the slightest aluminum on tile noise echo through Triple Rock and met with a crowd full of joking yet serious "Shhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

I first saw The Antlers at a festival in an old fisherman’s wharf warehouse in San Francisco. This mysterious band had the honor of being introduced by the Mayor. I remember at one point during their set, the lead singer simply vocalized into the mic and I shivered at the sound and clutched my chest like a flustered southern belle. That hypnotic voice and the gorgeous instruments accompanying it inspired me to see them again at the Great American Music Hall this past weekend. One of the Antlers’ EPs is themed after the sensation of falling asleep or peacefully floating away in an ocean. The music gives a general sense of release, relaxation, and meditation. That’s what a live show is like. The singer’s jazzy, world-weary voice crooned while two trumpets soared over dramatic guitar riffs and piano refrains that alternated between delicate and grandiose. The audience swayed in the gentle current; quite a few times, I just closed my eyes and let the orchestration wash over me like a wave. That’s because there’s not much to look at here. Not to say there aren’t any lookers in the band, because there definitely are! It’s just that everyone is so relaxed and taken with the music that there isn’t any stage banter or clowning around to deal with. (Except maybe some funny guitar-handling from our singer during “Putting the Dog to Sleep,” he jerks at the guitar like it hurt his feelings.) The band did bring special lighting in the form of magic birdcages. They lit up the already-ornate venue and gave the whole place a fancy parlor sort of feel, like a monocle-wearing aristocrat had invited us all for fine wine and happened to book excellent entertainment along the way. We got a lot of their latest album 'Familiars,' and a lot of 'Hospice,' which is their intensely beautiful, yet intensely depressing third album.
Don’t let that stop you, though. Dive in.

The Antlers concert was the most emotional show I've ever been to. Period.
Now let me explain. The Antlers' music, spanning from their 2010 release, Hospice, to their newest album of 2014, Familiars (their first two records are widely less known and much less appreciated by fans and the band themselves), is dark and beautiful, touching on subjects such as cancer, abuse, rape, even euthanasia. In combination with singer Peter Silberman's insanely beautiful voice, it's hard to keep a dry eye throughout the full show. Now don't expect it to be perfect. The Antlers have had a bad rep for not-quite-on-point live shows in the past, and there is a bit of truth to it. Last night, in a small club called Lincoln Hall in Chicago, Peter Silberman and Darby Cicci (keyboardist/trumpeter/backing vocalist) had to stop a few seconds into "Director", due to Silberman's horridly untuned guitar and how Cicci "didn't know what song we were on". Upon restarting the song, Cicci had to stop it one more time, due to a complication with his complicated set-up; his bass amp had failed him. That being said, this was a one time experience. Silberman joked, apologetically, "It's a Sunday night..." Besides a few barely noticeable hiccups, only an experienced ear would notice many mistakes. The band's main set mostly included songs from their new album, which was clearly less known to the crowd. It also included both "Epilogue" and a new, buffed up version of "Sylvia" from Hospice and "Drift Dive" from the 2012 EP Undersea. After playing their last song, the band returned after about 5 minutes of restless applause, playing both I Don't Want Love and Putting the Dog to Sleep from Burst Apart. It's safe to say the encore left everyone speechless, simply watching dumbly and silently as the bass amp still rang after the band left the stage. It was definitely a night to remember.

I've been listening to The Antlers for a few years now and just recently realized how much they've meant to me. I guess I can look back on the last couple of years and say truly that many times I've been comforted by the catharsis I've found through the lyrics, or the unique bluesy sound to the indie rock scene, or simply by the amount of space found in their music. My favorite album is definitely Hospice and I knew after that I'd need to see them in concert. So when opportunity came, I took it. Despite not having the greatest spot(I was front row but to the right, if you go stay mid or left if you're close, that way a keyboard won't block your view) I will say that they blew me away. However, they didn't seem to be totally together or en pointe until the middle of the show. I don't know if this was bc there were a few sound mishaps that got to them but their attitude definitely affected the way they played. Hospice fans won't be disappointed by the few songs played from what I think is one of the best albums out there. In fact, Epilogue was the turning point of the show. From then on they really just started playing. And the crowd felt it in response. And the encore was better than I could ask for. Overall I would say don't definitely see these guys when you can if you really love the music they make. And as I said, left or center stage ;)

I saw the Antlers in Toronto at the Great Hall a few years back and they were amazing. Great live performers, there's no denying that. Unfortunately they didn't engage their audience one bit last night and it made the experience lacklustre. I would also never go back to the Mod Club. I always heard rather poor reviews on the venue, but last night just confirmed that. It wasn't loud enough so you could hear your neighbour clearly without having to yell. A large amount of the audience left mid performance- but I think the majority of the issue was the venue itself. I still love the antlers, last nights performance just didn't showcase their talent unfortunately

Absolutely a wonderful evening. Tim Mislock was a great addition to the performance. It was definitely a memorable evening. The audience was great and responded with loud cheers and applause after every song. The music was beautiful and emotional and was presented the the audience masterfully. The guys were very personable after the show. I got my lp signed and the setlist I was lucky to snag after they left the stage. Top notch show. Highly recommended and will see them again when they come back to Portland.

The second The Antlers starting playing the other night I was taken to another world. Peter's voice fills up every bit of the venue... They played all the right songs with all the best transitions that left you in a dream state. Such a spiritual experience. The band has managed to stay so humble, they relate so well to the audience. Their show feels very personal. Also important to note, Darby (swoon) enjoyed a glass of red wine as he played.

I was impressed with the live set The Antlers delivered. They are not a band that engages the audience much, so if that is what you're into, you'll be disappointed. Rather, their focus is on delivering a superiorly performed and engineered live show. The venue PA was excellent too, which was a bonus.

The show last night was fantastic! They were so much better live than I could have ever imagined. They played to perfection. Probably the best show I'll see all year!