{"id":11224,"date":"2022-06-12T15:47:35","date_gmt":"2022-06-12T19:47:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/?p=11224"},"modified":"2024-08-28T13:23:12","modified_gmt":"2024-08-28T17:23:12","slug":"were-all-just-walking-through-this-darkness-on-our-own-the-war-on-drugs-live","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/2022\/06\/12\/were-all-just-walking-through-this-darkness-on-our-own-the-war-on-drugs-live\/","title":{"rendered":"“We’re all just walking through this darkness on our own.” – The War on Drugs Live"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\"\"
\n<\/figure>\n

Last Wednesday night I went to my first concert in four-and-a-half years. Just as I did at that last show in December 2017, I went to see The War on Drugs. With S and the same friends we went to that Dec \u201917 show with. This was a rather momentous night for me, though, as it was the first concert I\u2019ve been to in Indy that was not in Broad Ripple.[1]<\/a> <\/p>\n

We saw TWOD at the TCU Amphitheater in White River State Park, right downtown, nestled in between Victory Field, the NCAA headquarters, and the Indianapolis Zoo. <\/p>\n

It was a damn perfect night for a show. Storms blew through in the afternoon, took away the humidity, and dropped the temps into the upper 60s. There was a gorgeous sunset just after the show began, which peaked through the side of the stage.<\/p>\n

And then there was a fucking fantastic show on the stage.<\/p>\n

This is the third time I\u2019ve seen TWOD. They get better every time. <\/p>\n

This was a transcendent show, nearly flawless in every way. Adam Granduciel set a damn amplifier on fire, which should speak to the power of the performance.<\/p>\n

The band roared through 17 songs that were almost perfectly selected and sequenced. I would have swapped two songs in order at the end of the main set, and maybe shuffled in one or two they didn\u2019t play. But the band was so damn good I can\u2019t make any true complaints.<\/p>\n

Granduciel\u2019s vocals did get lost in the mix at times. I believe they were too low to begin the show, and got bumped up for song two. But the rest of the night I think it was just that the band was so loud that the vocals still got overwhelmed. That\u2019s not a terrible thing since he\u2019s not the greatest singer in the world. But at times you were more aware he was making sounds with his mouth than really hearing what he was singing.<\/p>\n

The highlight of the show, as I hinted at in the Friday Playlist a week ago, was \u201cCome to the City.\u201d The band doesn\u2019t play many songs off of their first full-length album, Slave Ambient<\/em>, I believe because those songs are difficult to translate to a live setting. I\u2019ve heard a couple others off that album that have not sounded great. I\u2019ve seen versions of \u201cCome to the City\u201d on YouTube that were good, but didn\u2019t match the power of the album version.<\/p>\n

But Wednesday night\u2019s effort? It was incandescent. I think I had a big grin on my face for the entire five or so minutes they were playing it. If I had long hair, I think it would have been blowing back over my shoulders from Granduciel\u2019s overwhelming guitar runs. It was one of the greatest songs I\u2019ve ever seen live, and this is a band that routinely melts people\u2019s faces with their music. When \u201cCome to the City\u201d ended, I looked at the people I was with and yelled, \u201cTHAT\u2019S WHAT I CAME HERE FOR!\u201d<\/p>\n

As a huge fan that has analyzed nearly every second of the band\u2019s last four albums, I noted how their performances have changed since I first saw them seven years ago. They still largely sound like the same band, if more locked-in and cohesive. Granduciel\u2019s guitar is still the center of the show. But there weren\u2019t any five minute solos, or songs that were stretched out to 20 minutes because of multiple solos like on their last tour. He still shreds, but he condenses his play and shares the spotlight more than he used to. Which makes the moments he does slay even better.<\/p>\n

It was also awesome to see how songs they\u2019ve been playing for nearly a decade now – all the big ones from Lost in the Dream<\/em> for example – have been tightened up while also becoming even more massive. \u201cUnder the Pressure\u201d has always been an ass-kicker; it was one of the true highlights of the December 2017 show. But I swear, it made people lose their minds and speak in tongues last week. It really should have closed the main set to allow people a few minutes to catch their breath and get their hearts back into rhythm.<\/p>\n

The new songs translate well, too, especially their biggest hit, \u201cI Don\u2019t Live Here Anymore.\u201d I wish they played \u201cChange,\u201d but they seem to have dropped it lately.<\/p>\n

The only bummer of the night was \u201cEyes to the Wind\u201d did not get played. It was listed on the official setlist as the first song for the encore, but I think there was a hard 11:00 sound curfew and they cut it to play \u201cThinking of a Place\u201d and \u201cOccasional Rain.\u201d Those were both great, but \u201cEyes to the Wind\u201d is one of those songs that grabs me in the soul every time I hear it. <\/p>\n

One other thing I noticed is that Granduciel seems much more relaxed on stage, the band seemed to be having fun during songs, and the overall tone of the show was different than two years ago. Perhaps it is because the songs on I Don\u2019t Live Here Anymore<\/em> are more optimistic and uplifting than the songs on Lost in the Dream<\/em>. Wednesday there was a real feeling of not just communion, but celebration in the air. I wouldn\u2019t say the band was ever reticent or somber at their previous shows. They have just brightened up quite a bit.<\/p>\n

Indianapolis TWOD fans are lucky. It seems like the city will always be on the band\u2019s tour list thanks to their roots with Bloomington\u2019s Secretly Canadian label. They\u2019ve stopped here on three-straight tours, and played incredible shows each time. Hopefully this isn\u2019t the last time I get to see them.<\/p>\n

BTW, if you want to look back at what I wrote about the first two TWOD shows I\u2019ve been to, here are links:<\/p>\n

The War On Drugs, Indianapolis, 6–12–15<\/a>
\nWrapping Up (+ TWOD)<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\n
    \n
  1. \n

    I will be seeing my first-ever show at the bigger outdoor venue here this coming week.  ↩<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Last Wednesday night I went to my first concert in four-and-a-half years. Just as I did at that last show in December 2017, I went to see The War on Drugs. With S and the same friends we went to that Dec \u201917 show with. This was a rather momentous night for me, though, as it was the first concert I\u2019ve been to in Indy that was not in Broad Ripple.[1] We saw TWOD at the TCU Amphitheater in White River State Park, right downtown, nestled in between Victory Field, the NCAA headquarters, and the Indianapolis Zoo. It was a damn perfect night for a show. Storms blew through in the afternoon, took away the humidity, and dropped the temps into the upper 60s. There was a gorgeous sunset just after the show began, which peaked through the side of the stage. And then there was a fucking fantastic show on the stage. This is the third time I\u2019ve seen TWOD. They get better every time. This was a transcendent show, nearly flawless in every way. Adam Granduciel set a damn amplifier on fire, which should speak to the power of the performance. The band roared through 17 songs that were almost perfectly selected and sequenced. I would have swapped two songs in order at the end of the main set, and maybe shuffled in one or two they didn\u2019t play. But the band was so damn good I can\u2019t make any true complaints. Granduciel\u2019s vocals did get lost in the mix at times. I believe they were too low to begin the show, and got bumped up for song two. But the rest of the night I think it was just that the band was so loud that the vocals still got overwhelmed. That\u2019s not a terrible thing since he\u2019s not the greatest singer in the world. But at times you were more aware he was making sounds with his mouth than really hearing what he was singing. The highlight of the show, as I hinted at in the Friday Playlist a week ago, was \u201cCome to the City.\u201d The band doesn\u2019t play many songs off of their first full-length album, Slave Ambient, I believe because those songs are difficult to translate to a live setting. I\u2019ve heard a couple others off that album that have not sounded great. I\u2019ve seen versions of \u201cCome to the City\u201d on YouTube that were good, but didn\u2019t match the power of the album version. But Wednesday night\u2019s effort? It was incandescent. I think I had a big grin on my face for the entire five or so minutes they were playing it. If I had long hair, I think it would have been blowing back over my shoulders from Granduciel\u2019s overwhelming guitar runs. It was one of the greatest songs I\u2019ve ever seen live, and this is a band that routinely melts people\u2019s faces with their music. When \u201cCome to the City\u201d ended, I looked at the people I was with and yelled, \u201cTHAT\u2019S WHAT I CAME HERE FOR!\u201d As a huge fan that has analyzed nearly every second of the band\u2019s last four albums, I noted how their performances have changed since I first saw them seven years ago. They still largely sound like the same band, if more locked-in and cohesive. Granduciel\u2019s guitar is still the center of the show. But there weren\u2019t any five minute solos, or songs that were stretched out to 20 minutes because of multiple solos like on their last tour. He still shreds, but he condenses his play and shares the spotlight more than he used to. Which makes the moments he does slay even better. It was also awesome to see how songs they\u2019ve been playing for nearly a decade now – all the big ones from Lost in the Dream for example – have been tightened up while also becoming even more massive. \u201cUnder the Pressure\u201d has always been an ass-kicker; it was one of the true highlights of the December 2017 show. But I swear, it made people lose their minds and speak in tongues last week. It really should have closed the main set to allow people a few minutes to catch their breath and get their hearts back into rhythm. The new songs translate well, too, especially their biggest hit, \u201cI Don\u2019t Live Here Anymore.\u201d I wish they played \u201cChange,\u201d but they seem to have dropped it lately. The only bummer of the night was \u201cEyes to the Wind\u201d did not get played. It was listed on the official setlist as the first song for the encore, but I think there was a hard 11:00 sound curfew and they cut it to play \u201cThinking of a Place\u201d and \u201cOccasional Rain.\u201d Those were both great, but \u201cEyes to the Wind\u201d is one of those songs that grabs me in the soul every time I hear it. One other thing I noticed is that Granduciel seems much more relaxed on stage, the band seemed to be having fun during songs, and the overall tone of the show was different than two years ago. Perhaps it is because the songs on I Don\u2019t Live Here Anymore are more optimistic and uplifting than the songs on Lost in the Dream. Wednesday there was a real feeling of not just communion, but celebration in the air. I wouldn\u2019t say the band was ever reticent or somber at their previous shows. They have just brightened up quite a bit. Indianapolis TWOD fans are lucky. It seems like the city will always be on the band\u2019s tour list thanks to their roots with Bloomington\u2019s Secretly Canadian label. They\u2019ve stopped here on three-straight tours, and played incredible shows each time. Hopefully this isn\u2019t the last time I get to see them. BTW, if you want to look back at what I wrote about the first two TWOD shows I\u2019ve been to, here are links: The War On Drugs, Indianapolis, 6–12–15 Wrapping Up (+ TWOD) I will be seeing my first-ever show at the bigger outdoor venue here this coming week.  ↩<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[11,9,57],"class_list":["post-11224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-concerts","tag-music","tag-the-war-on-drugs"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11224"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11224\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11225,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11224\/revisions\/11225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}