Kings of Convenience (GAMH, 8 March 2005)

You know what I hate most about going to shows with tons of people? Hecklers. Not the occassional heckler or, sometimes, the "Freebird!" heckler, but the kind that just do it the entire show and saying mindless phrases. Entertaining at first, yes, but annoying every subsequent time afterwards.

This is what happened to an otherwise beautiful set by Kings of Convenience. A heckler, who heckled nice things about the band, just got damn annoying. Was it his voice? Yes! His voice was screechingly loud. Was it the intonation of his voice? Yes! It sounded like Richard Simmons on crack. His choice of phrases? Yes! He would say out loud, "Oh, I like that song!" or "You guys are hot!" or, and I don't understand this one, "You guys are perfect in San Francisco!" What the hell? Even the band didn't understand that, mentioning to the entire audience, "We don't even know what that means." So, yeah, I would have liked to have muzzled that heckler and chuck him onto O'Farrell St. so I can enjoy the rest of the show. Even his friends were annoyed with him.

Okay, now that I got that out of my system, let me tell you about Kings of Convenience. Erlend and Erik came out at around 10pm looking tired and sedate. Not surprising since their songs are like that, albeit very beautiful. Erlend announced that he was not feeling well today but that the crowd's presence was making him feel better. I forgot what song they opened up with, but it was quite good.

Throughout the show, as the heckler was mouthing off stupid things, Erlend and Erik would tell a story, say quirky things, and encourage crowd participation. The crowd clapped, whistled, and sang with the band throughout their hour plus long set. At one point, Erik was describing their hometown of Bergen, Norway and how it is very similar to San Francisco. At this point, the heckler yelled out, "Are there gays there?" Erik seemed perplexed by this question and answered, "Yes, there is a gay community there but I don't visit it that often." Erlend replied, "There's one gay bar there and I end up visiting it once a month." The crowd giggled, and then Erik said, to some extent, "This is like the first page of 'How to Become a Rock Star,' let people always question your sexuality."

Kings of Convenience played a lot of songs, mostly stuff from their new album Riot in an Empty Street. They also played some b-sides or covers, which I was not familiar with. They played a couple of songs from their debut album, Quiet is the New Loud, such as "I Don't Know What I Can Save You From" and "Toxic." What's amazing about KoC is that they really, really sound good with just two acoustic guitars. Some bands fall short with a full rhythm section, but yet the amazing strumming and plucking of the strings by Erlend and Erik left an everlasting feeling of bliss at some points, and pure sadness in others. They are truly talented.

In a couple of points in the set, Bart Davenport and Feist assisted the band. Feist sang the female vocals in a couple of songs from Riot and Bart played bass during another b-side/cover. Both Feist and Bart Davenport, and another girl, helped the boys out in their final song "I'd Rather Dance With You." Erlend was shaking all about, albeit not as boisterous as my friends in the East Coast have described it.

A fantastic show. Truly one of the more memorable ones of 2005.

Beer Rating: 2.25 Beers