The Fiery Furnaces returned to Cincinnati last night with a show at the Southgate House in Newport. The show not only marked their return to the area but also their return to record store shelves with the release of their new album, Widow City. If you have seen The Fiery Furnaces play live in the past, you know that, like their albums, they have a tendency to be quite polarizing.
And polarizing might best describe the set from The Fiery Furnaces last night. The band played almost all new material from Widow City, with only a couple of exceptions through the set. This all taking place on the release day of Widow City, which, even in this leak and download heavy culture, had little to no familiarity with most of last nights audience. Eleanor warned everyone up front that the new material was what would be heard that night, even commenting at one point that they had “forgotten” the older material.
Be sure to catch The Fiery Furnaces out on tour supporting this new album, they will certainly gain steam and should not be missed. Also pick up the new album from Thrill Jockey here.
While the crowd was pretty docile throughout, (minus one human pogo stick that bounce front and center for the full hour long set), it was probably just what the Friedbergers expected and wanted. This was the first night of the tour with the new album freshly available, and they wanted to get the new songs some live experience, much to the chagrin of many fans that expected a greatest hits set.
Oh yeah, the set was fantastic. The new songs that really shone brightly were Ex-Guru, Duplexes Of The Dead, Navy Nurse and The Philadelphia Grand Jury. And they had to be talked into it, but the encore included a mix of (crap, forgot this…) and Single Again, which was thouroughly enjoyable. The most underrated part of the show, but one of the best, was the amazing guitar work of former Sebadoh member Jason Lowenstein. Jason shredded for most of the night, and I’m not sure these songs sound nearly as good live without his influence.
More pics after the jump……
For even more, check out my Flickr photo set here……
Oct 10, 2007Hi Joe, to answer your inquiries….
Underrated – meaning that he is far from the focal point in the band and deserves more attention for his part in their live performance.
Sebadoh is no longer making music or touring as far as I know, therefore I called him a “former” member.
Yes, it was of course bass guitar.
Glad you enjoyed the show!
Oct 10, 2007Sebadoh’s original lineup toured this year and have at least one show scheduled for next year:
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/45507-sebadoh-do-ibubble-and-scrapei-for-dont-look-back
Oct 10, 2007Ah yes, I guess they did. I have to admit to not caring much about or for the band, explains the omission.
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12:22 pm
Thanks for posting a review. I agree. It was a great show.
Was the encore song you’re thinking of “Chris Michaels” ? I know they played it but can’t remember if it came at the end of the set or in the encore.
Also, you’re right about Jason being good, but I have three questions:
Who underrated his performance last night? Yours is the only review of the show I’ve come across.
You describe him as a former member of Sebadoh. When did he leave the band?
When you said he played guitar, you meant bass guitar, right? I see four strings on the picture you snapped.