Date: Friday March 21, 2008 @ 9:00
City: Orlando, FL
Venue: The Social
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I had been looking forward to this show for a while… mostly because it was originally scheduled for February 10th but was postponed to March 21st. I arrived in Orlando early so that I could hit up Knightly Spirits. This is possibly the best beer store in the south, especially for Belgians. I was able to pick up some ‘05 Gonzo Porter’s which I was very happy about, as well as a few other rarities. Then I made my way over to Red Light Red Light. I held off heading to the show till about 10:00, which was about 3 beers. I figured with doors @ 9:00, I’d be getting there midway through band #2. I walked in and band #1 was still on. Both opening acts were OK. They didnt blow me away but they weren’t bad.

The Social is very oddly shaped for a show: when you walk in the stage is on your left, with the bar across it on the right. The issue is, that the width is very small compared to the depth of the room. The stage would be much better off being in the back of the room, leaving much more space for people to stand back from the stage, and not so much to the side. I’m kind of anal about where I stand/sit for shows. I like to be near the center for better sound. If I can’t see perfectly, I can deal. But if I can’t hear what they are singing/saying i get irked immensely. So I made my way to the bar, and found a good spot that was in line with the middle of the stage. Turns out that wasn’t the best choice. It was quite a high traffic area with people heading to restrooms, and god knows where else. People obviously had places to be, even during the main set. Which brings me to one of my main beliefs when going to shows: proper concert etiquette. I have no problem with people getting drunk and acting like an ass, etc. It’s only when that asinine behavior interferes with my or other peoples enjoyment that you should be drug out onto the street and shot. Don’t get in my way, bump into me, or have social hour in the middle of a show. Save the talk for outside. Seriously.

OK, now that I’m off my soapbox, onto the show. They were fantastic. They have a very My Morning Jacket/Death Cab For Cutie sound to them. They opened the set with “The Great Salt Lake” off 2006’s “Everything All The Time.” A definite highlight was “Is there A Ghost” which I feared couldn’t possibly live up to the album version. Very glad I was wrong. I liked the fact that members of the band were sporting beards, shifting focus to the music instead of appearances. I may be wrong in thinking that that is their thought process, but if it is, I commend them. There’s nothing worse than going to a show and hearing/seeing people that are only there cause so and so is “so cute, so dreamy.” “The Funeral” was another crowd pleaser that sounded great. I didn’t recognize what song closed the set. By looking at previous setlists online, they have covered “Effigy” by CCR, “13 Days” by JJ Cale, and “Feeling Stronger” by Chicago; of which the latter has closed a few shows, so I think that may have been it. All in all it was a wonderful show. Well worth seeing if you ever get the chance. I think they will be big one day.

Here is “Is There A Ghost” live on Letterman:

Since I believe no one should pay for lossy music, I will not link you to their iTunes selection. Until iTunes offers lossless purchases at CD prices, I will link to albums on amazon. Go pick a CD up (or a vinyl LP preferably if you can find it), or better yet, go see them in concert.

Everything All the Time by Band of Horses (Audio CD - Mar 21, 2006)

Cease to Begin by Band of Horses (Audio CD - Oct 9, 2007)

Website links:

Band of Horses Official Site
Band of Horses on Wikipedia
Band of Horses on myspace