Wow, what a great show. I've been digging on Peter Bjorn & John's latest record Writer's Block (#26 in my 2006 top 40) for a while now, and when I saw that they were coming to New York, I bought a ticket immediately. Both of their shows sold out within a day, including the second date they moved from Mercury to the Bowery. Last night's show was so good I'm kicking myself for not going to the "secret" show at Union Hall on Sunday night, and I've half a mind to try and sneak into the Bowery tonight and see them again.

The show opened with White Rabbits, who randomly I caught at CMJ last year and enjoyed very much. I was curious to find out if my initial strong sentiments would be vindicated, or to learn that I shouldn't write about bands that I see when I'm drunk. Mercury was fairly empty when they started, but the band kicked any nerves it had by the end of the first song and the place started to fill in over their set. It turns out that it wasn't just the booze last time, White Rabbits are a tight live band. They've got six guys, all on point. They seem to really love the Walkmen (to the point of dressing like them), but this isn't a bad thing. They're strongest when the melodies are dark and brooding. Their two lead singers harmonize very well together, another one of their strong points. I'm still not sure how they'll sound recorded (the songs they've had posted on their mySpace page have all been unmastered), but they're definitely worth checking out live. Sarah from the underrated blog has plenty more on them, if you're curious. I also took some pictures of them that I'll post later.

I've heard good things about Born Ruffians lately, though I wasn't familiar with them or their music until last night. They're an energetic, poppy trio from Toronto with a sense of humor. They grew on me quite a bit over the course of their set, though I don't know that I'd get down with their record. But I suppose I should hear it first. They put on a good show and crowd liked them a lot. By the time they went on, the Mercury was full.

Peter Bjorn & John took the stage a little after eleven, still looking spiffy from their taping of the Late Show with Conan O'Brien earlier. I didn't really know what to expect, but it didn't take long to discover that PP&J are a great live band. This group of shaggy swedes (well, the drummer isn't shaggy, but he shares the vibe) is instantly charismatic. You can't help but want to watch them. I want to have them over for dinner. Even better, they're crack musicians; they hardly missed a note, except when folks forgot lyrics (something that's pretty easy to do when singing in a foreign language). All three members sang, and the harmonies were very tight. The set moved at a good pace and the whole crowd was into it. The Mercury temporarily turned into a dance party when they played their hit "Young Folks," which was awesome. Victoria Bergsman and a bongo player joined them onstage, and the interplay between her and Peter was great. It was pretty much the coolest thing I've seen for a while. PP&J also managed to get the crowd to sing along to a song with them. I've seen many bands try this in NYC and almost all of them fail, but folks actually sang. That's kind of weird, but kind of cool too I guess, and it speaks to Peter's notable showmanship. For the record, the version of "Young Folks" that I witnessed last night is about a million times better than the version on Conan, but it's still worth checking out. Brooklyn Vegan said "as soon as PB&J played their first note - all pain (mental and physical) went away... that's how you know you saw a good show - it takes the pain away." I agree with him, and this show left me elated. I was in such a good mood, I went to the bar instead of going to bed. Brooklyn Vegan also has some nice photos from the show, and tales of the celebrities that were there. Apparently, I missed a drunken Drew Barrymore making it with some random dude, which is fine by me. Though there were a lot of couples at this show, and a fair amount of making out in general. You heard it from me first: Peter Bjorn & John are for lovers.

Labels: Concert Reviews, Peter Bjorn and John, White Rabbits