Oh what an enjoyable night! With my last concert taking place in early March, Owen Pallett playing at the First Unitarian Church seemed like a sign from God, and eventually felt like it. It was not nearly as crowded as before, and we took our seats on the floor only one row of people behind the stage. Everyone took their shoes off, laid back, and got ready as Snowblink came out to open. After playing with the lights a little and giving the first row (one row behind DOES matter!) a long rope of bells for a little ‘audience participation’, their set began. If anyone bothered to turn their heads from Daniela Gesundheit’s antlered guitar and angelic vocals, they’d see Owen Pallett himself sitting in the pews having a listen.
But Owen wasn’t there to listen, he was there to play. Soon after Snowblink’s set, the lights were reset. The keyboard was moved up front. A candle was lit to make the stage smell nicer. Owen finally took out his violin and assured everyone that Andrew Bird has got nothing on him, mastering the loop pedal in his own brilliant way.
On stage, Owen proved himself to be more than just a musician, but a composer. He went right into his songs, plucking to oblivion, screaming into his violin, playing with such fluid motions, and the entire time enjoying himself. After a few songs, Thomas Gill joined the stage unintroduced and began playing drums and guitar, along with providing backup vocals. His own laidback aggressive style made the performance that much more surreal.
He opened the set with some Final Fantasy songs before going into some Heartland songs and opening the floor to his own favorite part of the show, a little ‘Q&A’ with the audience, which helped to personalize the show. He also proved something that is not as noticeable in his recordings: you can play electronica with the violin.
Owen played Lewis Takes His Shirt Off, He Poos Clouds, This Lamb Sells Condos, E for Estranged, and Midnight Directives, in addition to a myriad of other songs. He made each one of his loops sound organic and vibrant, painting the image of an entire orchestra exploding from his little violin. Afterwards both Pallett and Gill hung around to talk to some of the fans, with Thomas telling us of some of his tour experiences and Owen himself being kind enough to give us a drag of his Canadian cigarette. It was a perfect ending to a great concert, and gave everyone the boost to walk the five blocks back to the sub in the pouring rain. What a good fucking concert.
