With only three full-length albums under their belt, as well as a few EPs, Beirut has graduated to larger stages than many fans would immediately anticipate, considering the band has little backing from radio or other mainstream outlets. No, the band has built a rather large following on pure enchantment, crafting a whimsical world view on music that takes elements from songwriter Zach Condon’s travels, as well as his home in the Southwest, to create a final product that represents a hodgepodge of influences, and becoming something very much its own. From Condon’s voice to the horn arrangements, Beirut is unmistakable and inimitable, with their appeal boiling down to the simple fact that it either clicks for you, or it doesn’t. For the 5,000 or so people who were at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles, it most definitely clicks.
Upon the six-piece taking the stage, a “fuck yeah!” could be heard deep in the audience, to which Condon smirked and replied “that’s what we like to hear.” Beirut are not a ‘fuck yeah’ type of band, but it was obvious that the members are ‘fuck yeah’ type of people, with Condon always willing to break the tension with a sly joke or self-deprecating comment. At one point he referred to his ukelele as his “axe.” And, this kind of dichotomy is necessary to really enjoy a Beirut concert, as the music borders on being too perfect, with all the pieces neatly tucked into place and every accordion note or trumpet toot carefully orchestrated. Even when things were stripped down, like on “A Sunday Smile,” it all felt meticulously considered and carefully plotted. Sure, this could be a detriment in a small club or with a less precise band, but for Beirut, it is hard to imagine it any other way. The tapestry that they weave is based on order and beauty, and their every action seems to know it.
The biggest surprise of Beirut’s performance came in how they did not lean on their newest album; the excellent The Rip Tide. In fact, only two thirds of the album was performed, with notable omissions in “A Candle’s Fire” and the title track. Still, the new material that was played managed to shine, with “Santa Fe” bouncing as the most danceable song that Beirut has written (and, in turn, fans in the front section and in the walkways danced throughout the set regardless of the pace or mood of the tune), and “Goshen” hammering home the most emotional moment of the night.
The flip side of this is that fans got a healthy sampling of music from Beirut’s entire career, with enormous eruptions coming from opener “Scenic World” and early set homeruns “Postcards From Italy” and “Elephant Gun.” As the set moved on, every song received some sort of applause of familiarity at its opening notes, with the encore proving particularly strong with the catchiness of “My Night With the Prostitute From Marseille” and Condon’s only solo moment of the night, “The Penalty,” seeming like the set’s conclusion before the band returned for “Serbian Cocek,” a cover of A Hawk And A Hacksaw. Any doubt about whether Beirut was ready for a stage this size quickly was cast aside, as the audience left satisfied and any uninitiated who happened to be in attendance were surely won over.
Scenic World
The Shrew
Elephant Gun
Vagabond
Postcards From Italy
The Concubine
Santa Fe
A Sunday Smile
East Harlem
Forks and Knives (La Fête)
The Akara
Nantes
Port of Call
Cherbourg
Goshen
After the Curtain
Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)
Carousels
My Night With the Prostitute From Marseille
The Gulag Orkestar
The Penalty
Serbian Cocek (Hawk and a Hacksaw cover)
