I first heard of Okkervil River a couple of years ago when a friend of a friend can't stop raving about Black Sheep Boy. She said that their shows are amazing, full of energy and passion and just great stage presence. Everytime they came to San Francisco, I always found a way to miss them. This time, there was just no way I can afford to miss them, especially since their new album The Stage Names is one of the best albums released this year.
I arrived shortly after 9:45pm and was fortunate to have friends who were pretty close to the stage. The Indy was buzzing that night. I was feeling really tired, but I was excited to see what the hype was all about.
And there they were. They were everything advertised and more. Will Sheff was just beyond superb, with his strong voice and equally great guitar work. The rest of the band that accompanied him, including the keyboardist who really looks like one of my friends, were giving it their all. They engaged in little banter, except when Will Sheff described how they were on Letterman for the first time and how he wanted to change the lyrics to one of his songs to fit one of the guests. Unfortunately, that idea was rejected.
They played pretty much everything from The Stage Names, but the song I remember the most was "So Come Back, I Am Waiting." It was long, it was powerful and the crescendo blew me away. I also liked how they were able to integrate live the Beach Boys' "Sloop John B" into "John Allyn Smith Sails."
I wish I can remember more details of the show, especially since I'm just writing about it a month later. But it was definitely one of the best shows I've seen all year. They're going to play the Fillmore, just you wait, and then they'll become even bigger.
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