Band of Horses @ Avalon Hollywood

ARTICLE BY CHERYL CHENG
PHOTOS BY CHRIS MOLINA

HOLLYWOOD—NOV. 24 | Following the Oct. 9 release of sophomore album Cease to Begin, Band of Horses has spent the rest of the year touring extensively throughout the U.S., including a return to Hollywood’s Avalon. Easy comparisons have been made to other indie rock bands that summon the Southern rock sound, such as My Morning Jacket, but Band of Horses has shown their range and talent in their ever-growing catalog, and fans of Everything All the Time are likely satisfied with Cease. However, in spite of all the near classics (“The Funeral,” “Our Swords”), in a live setting, the Band sorely lacks in stage presence.

Australian rockers The Drones provided a noisy opener to the night, most likely surprising those in the audience who were ready for some less jarring indie rock. Although their sound is harder and louder than Band of Horses fans might have expected, The Drones were comfortable and at ease on stage, likely the result of how long they have been around (about seven years now). The Drones kept their set tight and short, which served as an efficient introduction to their music.

The Drones

When Ben Bridwell and company took the stage, they performed a varied set list that included Everything favorites, newer Cease tracks and two covers. The Band appeared to be in fine spirits, and Ben introduced “Weed Party” by joking it was time for a more serious song. But as the nearly 90-minute set wore on, one could only muster a mild sense of interest.

Only Ben rises to the occasion of interacting with the audience, and that interaction is somewhat awkward, though endearing. Several animal heads were used to decorate the stage, and at one point, Ben held one in his hand during a song. The gesture was meant to be slightly goofy, but Ben clearly isn’t that goofy, uncomfortably holding the animal head to his side, rather than knowing how to perform with it.

Band of Horses simply isn’t a group of entertainers; they’re straight-ahead musicians, which might explain why their music plays so well during Ford car commercials and the recently pulled Wal-Mart ads. Fans should expect more solid releases from this band in the years to come, but whether they should go see them, it can be a miss ... unless there actually is a weed party involved.

To view a photo gallery of the show, click here.

Comments

[paulag]

for someone that has been missing in action in los angeles for the past two years, i was alarmed by the high number of men with beards.

hehehe.

good show. too eearly but can't complain, it was a good show.

[cheryl]

Yay for Chris and his ninja skills!

[Oscar]

The 1st Drones pic is a total Ninja pic!

[John E. Marr]

at least they didn't cancel the gig because of leaky pipes ;)

'twas an excellent show! Yay beards!

[Ben]

Saw BOH at the Glasshouse. They were GREAT! And the opener, Tyler Ramsey was unbelievable. The Drones sucked hard though.

[paulag]

thanks for the info ben.
and yes John E. Marr, beards do rock.

[melanie]

i was invited to this show. i entered avalon that night having only heard one or two songs. the show was good. do they really deserve such a review? "...can be a miss..."? who cares if they weren't being dancing entertainers. i saw velvet revolver at gibson recently. weiland was dancing all over the stage. entertaining to watch? yes. musically, their songs were alright. did maynard have to "interact" with us at nokia on 12/10? hell, no. i much rather choose good music over being entertained at a concert any day. band of horses made me a fan with the first song played. give them more credit. take it from a true concert fan. i'm going to my 19th concert of the year tonight! our musicians shouldn't have to fluff their fans! oh, and paulaq--men with beards can be sexy!

[paulag]

Melanie: no doubt men with beards can be sexy, girl take a chill pill, I hadn't been in Los Angeles for over a year, and in Miami, Florida ----beards are rare. Very rare. So of course im taken aback when i see a shitload of all types of beards in one place.
-----
and also know that many of the members of the scenestar have been going to dozen shows every month or so for a period of over 10 years, therefore we're more picky and it does take a lot more for a band to impress us. Comes with the territory.
Also depends alot on the mood.
---

[Oscar]

Even the best band has people that don't dig their music. I even know a few people that aren't down for Radiohead! I don't remember reading this review and hearing her say "They TOTALLY suck". Homegirl is a ALOT of shows so, yes, it may take a bit to be impressed. Maybe she saw them before at a smaller venue? Who knows. Hopefully I'll see you at a future show Melanie =)