“Good evening, Madison, Wisconsin. Good evening, Madison, Wisconsin. Good evening, Madison, Wisconsin.”
Thursday’s concert-goers — way too many of whom spent the night flirting with the appropriate boundary lines of personal space — were welcomed by an autonomous voice repeating this friendly greeting across the dark and empty stage. Empty of humans that is, as a great deal of the backdrop was taken up by the multiple mirrors intersecting throughout a towering, prism-like structure.
The robotic voice proved an appropriate introduction to the atmosphere of Yeasayer’s Majestic Theater showcase. On tour to promote their third album, Yeasayer has tweaked and revamped their material to adapt with increasingly active live performances. Abandoning poppy vocal breakdowns in favor of a darker, experimental rock sound, the band seems fully sold on the alien imagery that graces the cover of Fragrant World. Released two days prior to the show, the barrage of songs built on synth riffs and electronic percussion seemed inevitable. If there was ever a doubt of what to expect, the quartet hit the sold out crowd with album-stand-out “Henrietta” just two songs in. It was one of the few songs where the reflective game between the lasers and triangular screens of the backdrop slowed enough to allow projection of calming video. The first half of the song also provided guitarist Anand Wilder with an opportunity to grab the microphone, but lead singer Chris Keating could not remain silent for long. Holding the mic tightly in both hands he was forced to take a break from his hyperactive dancing and wiggling to belt out his desire for Henrietta to “live on forever.”
Like the robotic voice that preceded the Brooklyn group, Keating’s movements pumped up the crowd for a night full of dancing. The funky frenzy, however, was noticeably intensified during a few songs not off the Fragrant World release. Undeniably due in part to their status as fan favorites, those select tracks also brought the most energy and biggest stray from the autopilot feel. Audience engagement peaked with the early insertion of “O.N.E.” and its easy to follow lyrics. True to the ever changing sounds of Yeasayer, the synthesizer played a much greater role on the song than that of Odd Blood fame. Updated and more energetic, the crowd never missed a beat.
Even the inclusion of “Wait for the Summer” could not break the mold of new-style Yeasayer. The group joked it had been “seven years” since the song’s last on-stage inclusion before settling on a hiatus of “a couple of years” for the track from 2007 album All Hour Cymbals. Despite slight contortion in adherence with the new musical direction, it was definitely the most distinct track of the evening, as its light feel defied the pace of the rest.
The immensely popular “Ambling Alp” completed the brisk, non-stop set and left the jam packed theater awake and eager for an encore. Returning for four additional songs did the trick. “Devil and the Deed” kept everyone moving while “Tightrope” felt like a nice island breeze. According to Keating, those not dancing away on the packed main level weren’t enjoying themselves as much as those taking in the spectacle from the comfortable seats of the balcony. The special effects Yeasayer provided tended to cater to both options, and based on the lack of space throughout the lower section, I’m beginning to think I made the wrong choice.
i was at this rock show. it was happy times in my yumyums.