Editors, The Antlers, The Dig – Live
by Mike
I almost had to bail on what was my first visit to Terminal 5 due to a temporary state of insanity caused by the chronic pain from my wisdom tooth. Two coffees and three Motrins later, I was remedied. Upon my arrival to the venue, the scene appeared chaotic and the energy felt frantic. The venue’s staff was impatient and hostile, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt. I figured that they were always dealing with overexcited, rebellious crowds. I soon found Kat and Chad, who were also frazzled. They had just picked up their photo passes via The Antlers and were advised of the night’s “special policy” which restricted them from shooting The Dig and Editors. Photographers were only allowed access to the pit for the band that got them on the list – very uncommon. We asked the venue what the deal was, to which they responded, “Editors’ management. We haven’t seen this before.” We were determined to sneak in photos anyway…
The opening act, The Dig, went on at 8pm sharp. While The Dig’s music soared throughout the venue, I noticed that the crowd was half model chic, half true music appreciators. Due to a strict time schedule, the newcomers were forced to miss out on playing some of their planned songs. Despite these minor bumps, I was determined to witness a colossal rock show. The Antlers were second on the bill and set up fairly quickly for what would be one of the quickest but most astonishing sets I have seen. As the trio took the stage, they churned out beautiful, ambient rock that completely drew me into a different world. Near the end of their set, the band apologized for not being able to play longer. This struck a nerve in my brain. I realized then that the venue was really pushing the bands to finish at an accurate time! Was it due to the 11pm show curfew, or because the Editors wanted to play a longer set? Regardless, their short performance was powerful enough to make me revisit Hospice. I gained a much larger appreciation for it after that. At set’s end, new bodies piled into the venue for the night’s headliners.
Editors lead singer, Tom Smith, arrived on stage and addressed the crowd with open arms. The black clad heroes opened up with “In This Light and On This Evening,” the title track from their new album of the same name. They looked intense playing this opener, which promised me that they would keep us all stimulated. I knew that at least a semi-memorable rock show was in store. Anyone that has heard the new album knows that it is much more synth heavy. It brought great joy to see that Editors managed their new sound perfectly. Guitarist, Chris Urbanowicz, occasionally traded his instrument for keyboards while Smith switched off between guitar and piano. It captured the magic of the new dance-heavy sound.
On top of the new material, they added a decent mix of old songs from their first two albums. I was inclined to later backtrack to some of the older stuff I was not so familiar with. During the encore, it dawned on that the frontman had an enormous amount of charisma. Much of the same tendencies we see in Coldplay’s Chris Martin were evident and made the show for many. The crowd sang along to fan favorites, “Munich” and “Papillion, which alone were pleasing highlights. Aside from the difficulties that Terminal 5 brought us, I did find myself lost in the moment. This was a straightforward rock show, quite easy to enjoy.
Tags: The Antlers, The Dig, The Editors
- March 1, 2010
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