As Spoon finishes up the west coast swing of the Bullets From Texas Tour, playing on a Monday night, it felt like they’d emptied the chamber by the time they left the stage.
The North Park show sold out the fastest of any of the tour dates, and the newly minted Observatory was packed full of revelers young and old alike. (We can all agree that we know about the change, and how it’s not North Park Theater anymore, right? At least in a few months, once the new liquor license comes through and we can have a beer during a show without going in to West Coast Tavern? Great.)
While the band felt well-practiced in the early going, even as they played through their hit “Don’t You Evah” as the third track out of the gate, their energy took over the venue as the night went on. By the time they reached the middle of the set, cranking in to current radio single “Do You,” frontman Britt Daniel had found his swagger, showing why he is considered one of the best in the business. And, when the band turned it on, they hit overdrive, leaving the audience muttering phrases like “best show this year” as they exited.
Daniel was, however, caught off guard during the encore, when he asked a fan in the front row what they wanted to hear, expecting an easy segue in to “Got Nuffin” only to receive- and have to backpedal from- another request.
The band made great use of their setup throughout the show, using the lighting to project their shadows on to the white screen backdrops surrounding, resulting in a stage worthy of the performance on it. The gents from Austin ended the night with “The Underdog,” and, after Tuesday night’s second performance, will return to town in September as part of the new festival at the fairgrounds at the end of the month.
Photos By: Summer Luu
Review By: David Israel