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Posted: 03/14/2007
Photography: Angela Meza
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If you’re a serious music fan, (regardless of how old you may or may not be) chances are that you’ve been to your fair share of memorable concerts. Yet, no matter how many clubs, arenas or amphitheaters come your way, your very first concert will always undoubtedly hold a supreme place on the ever-expanding list and as the years progress, you’ll probably be hard-pressed to find a band/venue/concert that lives up to its rose-tinted memories.
It’s just the nature of the human experience—that what we experience first will most likely hold the most weight—and yet when I say that the Explosions in the Sky concert on February 20th (part of the Wordless Music series) captured all of the kaleidoscopic whirl of emotions and feelings of that very first concert attended by 14-year-old me (Smashing Pumpkins at the Miami Arena, for those of you keeping score), I mean exactly that.
The show was held at the concert hall of the Society for Ethical Culture, an old church that was converted into a music venue, complete with a hanging chandelier, pews serving as seats and a sign at the front of the stage that reads: “The place where people meet to seek the highest is holy ground.” The idea of watching a rock band play in a former place of worship might seem sacrilegious to many, but if you’re at all familiar with the music of Explosions in the Sky then you know just how at home their songs are in the acoustics of a church.
Their latest album, All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone, hit record stores that same day, and the band came straight to the concert hall from Rockefeller Center after taping a performance for that night’s “Late Night With Conan O’Brien.” The buzz surrounding the band pre-show was palpable and nearly every hipster in Williamsburg showed up to the sold-out event to sit in the pews (which seat approximately 811 people) for over an hour and a half and watch the sad, tortured music of this Texas instrumental rock group come to life.
Explosions in the Sky are what Radiohead would sound like if: a) Thom Yorke completely gave up on the singing and focused solely on his guitar; b) Johnny Greenwood gave up on all of the mechanical bleeps and drum machines in favor of a kick-ass rhythm section; c) and if the entire band were to relocate to Austin, TX. Guitarists Munaf Rayani, Mark Smith and Michael James, each of whom at some point in the set also played bass, and drummer/keyboardist Chris Hrasky are the rare musicians who got together for the sole purpose of making really good music—the kind that picks up exactly where it should, that feels cinematic and makes the hairs on your arms stand on end.
The looks on each of their respective faces that night as they played songs off both their new and old albums, including the brilliant “It’s Natural to Be Afraid” and “Welcome, Ghosts” off of All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone, reflected the sheer glee that each of them was clearly feeling. Rayani carried his bass as if it were almost too heavy to bear, carrying it down low and swinging it left to right in unbridled ecstasy. The four guys on stage acted as if no one else were in the room with them, as if no one were watching them go apeshit for these songs, jamming for themselves and for the music. The room was completely silent for the entirety of their performance (something that I have never witnessed before) and there were no pauses in between songs for the audience to respond or clap. The only thing that you could do was close your eyes and let the overwhelming power and emotion of the music being played wash over you in gentle, welcome waves. Before I knew it, the concert was over, people were getting up out of their seats, the band was saying their goodnights and I was left wanting more. If you go see only one band play live this year, make Explosions in the Sky that one band. You’ll never look at the words “instrumental rock group” the same way again.
To find out more about Explosions in the Sky and where you can see them play, visit:
Explosions In The Sky.com
Explosions In The Sky.myspace.com
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