Concert Review: Spoon @ Prospect Park Bandshell, Brooklyn (7/15/08)

Around 9pm on a clear, peaceful summer evening in Brooklyn, the four members of Spoon walked onto the Prospect Park Bandshell stage to kick off what would be one of the most thrilling sets I've ever seen. Wisely, they decided to ease into their performance with the swaggering "They Never Got You" off of their lauded 2003 LP Gimme Fiction, which served as a good taste of the band's winning formula for both fans and new listeners. The band then erupted into barrage of much loved new and old material, unsurprisingly playing the majority of tracks from their (future classic) 2007 release Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga.

Before the show, I had heard one of my trustworthy friends shrug off a Spoon gig they had seen as being somewhat lackluster. This was actually probably a good thing for me to hear, as it set me up to expect nothing that would compare to the raw, kinetic power of their album library. So when Spoon went on to play their second song "My Mathematical Mind", the possibility of a mediocre review of the show was vaporized, drifting away with the rest of the smoke machine generated fog lifting off the stage.

Britt Daniel, the singer/songerwriter and lead guitarist of Spoon is obviously the centerpiece of the band's sound, as well as the epicenter of its tremendous force. Part of the satisfaction that comes with the way that he plays is his incredible way of evoking a bottled-up energy through both his abrasive guitar attacks and his straining yet sometimes tempered vocals. The band is known for its very economical use of sound and instrumentation, which sets up a perfect barrier for Daniel to burst through with his angst-filled performance tendencies.

And of course, one of the real unexpected treats for me was their choice for their grand finale. After the first three encore songs, I had no idea how Daniel and his crew were going to top themselves after already leaving such a firm sonic stamp on the fan's ears. However, all was fulfilled when they dove into a cover of the Stones' classic "Rocks Off", featuring a three part horn section and, once again, Britt Daniel's explosive play style. All in all, Spoon smothered all doubts I had of their live capabilities, giving me and the rest of the crowd even more reason to believe that New York City is truly THE music mecca of the world, and that Spoon is a very solid contributor to this.

Spoon covering The Rolling Stones' "Rocks Off"