The Palace Theatre in St. Paul hosted back to back sold out Spoon shows. We got the chance to see them on Saturday night.
Spoon was born in 1993 in Austin Texas with the release of Telephono, an album that can arguably be called the beginning of what we now know as Indie rock. With the commercial success of 2002’s Kill The Moonlight, Spoon solidified their status as indie radio gods. With a sound that is like a mashup of Squeeze and Nine Inch Nails, Spoons catalogue is more diverse than a Coexist bumper sticker. From Spartan acoustic tunes to hip hop inspired drums to spacey, psychedelic keyboards, Spoon still packs a punch. They are currently touring in support of their latest release, Hot Thoughts.
Supporting Spoon on this leg of the tour is Twin Peaks. A power pop band from Chicago, they took the stage right around 8:30pm. Coming out with 2 beers each, the guys had a carefree, free spirit vibe that was infectious. Think Big Star meets Eagles and you get an idea of the Twin Peaks sound. These guys are beer drinkers and hell raisers, and the crowd was totally into their jam.
With a swirling keyboard intro, Spoon came on around 9:45 pm and opened with Do I Have To Talk You Into It off of Hot Thoughts. Founding member Britt Daniel prowls the stage like a rock god lion. He pounds his axe like it owes him money, yet effortlessly switches to the mic, his raspy voice captivating the sold out crowd. After three opening tune, Daniels took some time to talk to the crowd. Noting that it would be a good night to film, he stated that the band would be recording tonight’s set. Adding that if you were here Friday night, a lot of the songs would be the same, they would be adding a lot too. He asked “Who was here last night? That guy was here last night!” The band then launched into a 4 song continuous jam that would make the Grateful Dead proud.
Though Daniels is clearly the leader, the stage is set up so that the whole band is highlighted. Drummer Jim Eno and bassist Rob Pope were tighter than two coats of paint, laying down a rock solid foundation of rhythm. After that foray into jam band land, Keyboardist Alex Fischel launched into the extended interlude Via Kannela. This is a tune that could be the soundtrack to an Imax space exploration movie. When the band broke into he bass heavy Anything You Want, couples were dirty dancing throughout the Palace. While the band is streamlined, and their recordings are so well produced with effects, their music live is in your face garage punk greatness. The band definitely kicked it up a notch for the live versions of My Mathematical Mind and The Underdog. The swirling neon lights flashing to the beat of the songs was a great addition. Shout out to the Palace and First Ave for the stellar sound. Its like listening to a FLAC recording through Beats Studio headphones. After a brief break, Spoon came back out for an epic 2 encore mini concert. Incendiary versions of Hot Thoughts and The Rent I Pay had the crowd singing along at the top of their lungs.
Spoon proved Saturday night that they are still on top of their game, and are legitimately one of the great American Bands of this generation.
Set List: Do I Have To Talk You In To It – Inside Out – I Turn My Camera On – The Beast And The Dragon, Adored > Rainy Taxi > Don’t You Evah > Do You – Via Kannela > I Ain’t The One – Anything You Want – Can I Sit Next To You – My Mathematical Mind > Don’t Make Me A Target – The Underdog – Got Nuffin – Black Like Me
First Encore: I Summon You – Pink Up – Hot Thoughts – Rent I Pay Second Encore: First Caress – Everything Hits – Small Stakes
I was at the Saturday show and could not agree more with this reviewer. One of the very best live shows I have ever been too. Spoon should be bigger than they are. It is amazing that they are at their best now…it has over 25 years going and they are as relevant and creative and impactful as any band in the world right now. Amazing.