Photos by Philip Cosores
To generalise, Elbow deals in two types of songs: the anthems and the poignant. While people who love Elbow and go to see Elbow play live may want to hear more of the latter, their live shows consist almost entirely of the former. This could be disappointing for fans who want to see their favourite deep cuts reproduced live, but when you create grandiose music seemingly effortlessly, and glaze it with the honey-like vocals of Guy Garvey, there can be no complaints whatsoever that they decided to stick with the bigger numbers – especially in a venue like Los Angeles’ Greek Theater.
Opening proceedings was DeVotchKa. The four piece band from Colorado is known for making gypsy music, and me being fairly ignorant in this genre I expected something like the level of energy of Gogol Bordello. With their opening couplet of songs they proved to be something quite different, which was fairly plain aside from the use of accordion and double bass. However, things changed as their range of instruments brought into play grew over the course of their short set . Firstly, Jeanie Schroder picked up the huge metal object that had been sitting at the side of the stage and I had assumed was some kind of stage decoration for Elbow’s set – but it turned out to be a sousaphone which added some punch to the sound. Another highlight was the injection of horns, but the peak of the performance was when leader Nick Urata took time out from playing his guitar to deliver a solo on the theremin (can playing a lone theremin be anything other than a solo?), which set off the geek inside me. Following the conclusion of their set which grew more bombastic and enjoyable with each passing song, there was a definite buzz in the seats around me, and that theremin solo was the main topic of conversation.
Entering to a backing of some strings (for their live performance the five members of the band are joined by two violinists), Elbow took no time in getting down to business with “The Birds” from their most recent album build a rocket boys! The song’s steady build over its eight-minute length allowed the warm sound to gradually ease its way into the bones of the audience and warm them. The following two songs, “Bones Of You” and “Mirrorball,” maintained much the same format, but with the perfect mixing and acoustics of the Greek Theater each instrument could be heard perfectly and the subtleties in the sound of each song was clear.
Throughout the night Guy Garvey interacted with the crowd, making them laugh with ease. Following the straightforward rock of “Neat Little Rows,” he encouraged them to sing along with him an impromptu ditty about the wonders of the Greek Theater before making them sing the chorus of “Grounds For Divorce,” goading them to increase their volume by claiming that New York was louder. This double-header of two of their loudest songs gave way to the middle of the set which consisted mainly of much slower, but no less grand songs. When the majority of the band left the stage, leaving just Garvey to sing along with Craig Potter on keyboards on “Puncture Repair” and “The River,” it was a testament to Elbow’s song craft and the theater’s acoustics that it felt intimate while being no less dynamic.
Towards the end of their set Garvey explained to the audience that 2011 is their 20th year as a band, so they’re celebrating that fact every night. Shots were brought onstage and the quintet gathered around the keyboard once more to play a stripped down version of “Weather To Fly” – a song about their enjoyment of life as a band. After a mid-song break each member returned to their instruments so that they could expand the song for their trademark crescendo. They rounded out their main set with “Open Arms” – one of their least dynamic or interesting songs on record, but live comes into its own with each member showing off that they have quite a set of lungs on them, powerfully delivering a memorable conclusion.
They returned to the stage in a fanfare, each member blasting a trumpet or horn for the opening of “Starlings.” After “Station Approach” they finished, inevitably, with “One Day Like This.” I say inevitably because it will always from now and forever more be Elbow’s closing song. From the very moment the song was conceived it was a spectacle, and it one that is re-realised every time Elbow plays it live, with the ultimate in sing-along finales that any audience member is powerless to resist joining in. And, while every performance of this song is a special occasion for the audience, on this occasion, under the stars up in the hills at the Greek theater in L.A., I can’t imagine that the band have had many more special moments in their 20 years.
