Thurston Moore with Kurt Vile & the Violators and Hush Arbors

July 21, 2011
The Rickshaw Theatre
Vancouver, British Columbia

Hush Arbors opened night two of my four-day concert bender at the Rickshaw Theatre on Thursday night. Primary singer-songwriter Keith Wood played solo electric guitar during the first half of their set and was joined by a drummer for the second half. In short (because I don't have much to say about Hush Arbors), they were pleasant. I probably would have enjoyed them more, but they were far sparser and less psychedelic and folky than I'd remembered of whatever album of theirs I had a few years ago. Yeah, I'm clearly a fan of Hush Arbors.

Next up was Kurt Vile, the man I went to see. I'd always imagined that his songs would sound insanely epic and over the top with reverb live, but overall, they were quieter and less distorted than I'd expected. Yes, Kurt Vile & the Violators' swirling, sweeping guitars provided for some pretty serious psychedelic jams/freak-outs, but overall, everything actually sounded pretty clear. Also surprising was that he and his band did not stray too far from their songs' recorded versions.

I had absolutely no gripes with Kurt Vile's set list either, especially since they played "Freeway." That was definitely the most satisfying part of my night. It was another one of those increasingly frequent moments in which I got to hear one of my favourite songs ever (especially for driving and walking) live. There's just no feeling like hearing and seeing a song you've always loved unfold right in front of your eyes and ears. Frankly, I was surprised Kurt Vile & the Violators even played "Freeway"; it's always seemed like an "afterthought" song for them, considering the fact that it predates both of Vile's more critically acclaimed albums Childish Prodigy (Matador Records, 2009) and Smoke Ring For My Halo (Matador Records, 2011).

Finally, there was Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore. At this point, both members of Hush Arbors returned to the stage as members of his band.

Musically, Thurston's set was fantastic: the harp-playing was absolutely beautiful; his violinist was superb as well; and I always knew Thurston Moore was a good guitarist, but sometimes, it takes seeing artists play live to really appreciate their technical skill. Everyone in his band was tight, discernable and played off of one another flawlessly.

I was a little dismayed and/or surprised by a few minor things, however. For one, Thurston didn't know the name of Kurt Vile's album Smoke Ring For My Halo. After several guesses and even having asked his band mates, he still flubbed the album's title. He's your freakin' tour mate, Thurston, and someone whose praises you'd seem to sing anyway. Secondly, Thurston had a songbook with him on stage. I don't exactly know what was in the songbook (he seemed to have only paid attention to it between songs, flipping through the pages as if he was trying to see or decide which song was next), but during their final song, he read most of the lyrics from that book. Maybe he was really tired which I'd believe if he and his band actually did just get into Vancouver that evening after having driven for three days from the east coast like he'd claimed.

Out of Thurston's control was my final gripe. Unlike Hush Arbors' and Kurt Vile's crowds, Thurston’s was full of douche bags who just loved to yell out asinine comments that sometimes came off as heckling. Kurt had his share of turd-bag audience members too, such as the people in front of my friends who seemed like they were having more fun talking to each other than watching the show.

All in all, Thurston Moore with Kurt Vile & the Violators and Hush Arbors was probably the most surprisingly good concert I'd been to in a while. I didn't have great expectations prior to the show (I'd never been a huge fan of Thurston solo material, and I will always prefer Kurt Vile's former band the War on Drugs to his solo material), but everything was just so bang-on and God-damned right about the show - spectacular performances by all. This was Vile's third show in Vancouver since October, and I didn't go either time before, even though his first show here was only a twelve-minute walk from my apartment, but I will likely never miss a Kurt Vile show here again. He was just too damned good.

Final note: My friend Adam saw Thurston Moore and Kurt Vile two nights later at the Alladin Theatre in Portland, Oregon. According to Adam, Thurston described the Rickshaw as a "concrete box from hell." I don't blame Thurston for his negativity: the Rickshaw Theatre is one of my least favourite venues, and the idiotic crowd definitely didn't help win his favour.