And here I found myself at The Wellmont Theater, once again. Mere blocks from Casa de Hipster. To see a band, who are definitely not equines, that I hadn’t seen live since they opened for Pearl Jam in 2010. That show was a Ms. Hipster special. And, honestly, so was this one. They’re a band whose first two or three albums I very much enjoyed. But, frankly, after their fourth album, Mirage Rock, in 2012, I’m not sure I was aware they’d released another couple records in 2016 and 2022. But Ms. Hipster — completely correctly — asked why the hell we wouldn’t go see them if we only had to walk three minutes to make it happen?
The point is, Band of Horses had ceased to be relevant to me. They had entered what I imagined to be Dad Rock territory. And despite being a dad, I will never, ever admit to being okay with their music. That’s not to say that I don’t throw on tracks from their two, excellent albums, Everything All the Time and Cease to Begin pretty regularly. Or they come on in my “chill out” or “hang out” mixes. The ones I throw on when my more conservative house guests are, in fact, hanging out. It’s not party music. It’s not fist-pumping music (though some verges on it). It’s adult-sounding music. Mature in the way The National is. But way less boring. I feel like lead singer and songwriter, Ben Bridwell, leaned into this whole mature thing on this tour. Splitting their set between an “acoustic” set and an “electric” set. Though the acoustic set isn’t really acoustic in the strictest sense. Of course, most of the band members sit for the whole set, which I suppose makes for what they think is a more intimate and adult experience. Though, when polled, my group felt it was… Well, kinda boring. I mean sitting on a stage dressed like a living room while your drummer hits the skins with brushes isn’t exactly great in a large-ish sold out room filled with 2,500 fifty-something-year-old bald dudes.
And, honestly, the general sigh over the first half of the set may have had a lot to do with the space. The Wellmont is pretty big. This set feels like a band that wishes they were playing the Mercury Lounge. That would have been cool. This felt like an idea Bridwell — the lone member of the band who has been with Band of Horses for the whole run — came up with in his living room and thought it might translate to a venue 1,700 times larger. I’m not sure it was 100% successful. Though the band did sound good. It’s just a tough hang energy-wise on a Thursday night when people are standing for hours on their old-ass legs. But — and I will give them this — they started exactly on time. Broke exactly on time and finished up exactly on time. No banter. No fat. No encore. Nope, this was a down-to-the-second professional affair. Which, for a rock ‘n’ roll show isn’t exactly the most inspiring thing… But before they denied us the “I remember playing New Jersey in 2007…” stories, or even a pop-out for one last banger, they went from plucking to “electric.”
The funny thing is, I expected to hear a bunch of songs I didn’t recognize. Because — as I mentioned above — I hadn’t really kept up with these dudes in round about ten years. But I guess their minimal output was actually a plus for me. The setlist was what amounts to the Apple Music “top tracks” list. Which I can’t complain about. But, honestly, the “electric” energy was a bit better, but still felt lackluster. No fault of bassist, Matt Gentling from Archers of Loaf, who provided the bounce and rock ‘n’ rollness that the crowd refused to give them back. Look, I get that bands’ audience’s age. It’s just a thing. And I get that bands age. I also understand that not all bands are meant to listen to live. Or live in a space that is a bit cavernous. The thing is, Band of Horses feels like a band that should be built for that. The reverb paired with Bridwell’s reedy voice feels like it should cut through the boom of a large room. And it did to some extent, but in their kind of staid nature, the room couldn’t amplify and shove back the energy in equal measure. And, at times, Bridwell’s voice was running a little low on gas. So it all kind of just sat there, a little listless. It’s Dad Rock, after all. That said, I’ll leave you with a little clip of “The Funeral,” which is always a highlight no matter what.
