We Went There: Godspeed You! Black Emperor + Alan Sparhawk at Palace Theater
It was a heavy atmosphere heading into Saturday’s Godspeed You! Black Emperor, with the recent election results looming over the rainy, cool fall evening. Luckily, maybe the most perfect band for this situation happened to be rolling through town on a somewhat rare tour and they delivered a set of powerful, righteous anger that, at least for me, was the elixir I needed in that moment.
A band that is deeply political (their most current album references the death toll from the ongoing genocide in Gaza) and emotionally jarring, Godspeed You! Black Emperor are a band/collective that are politically clear eyed and would have brought their urgency no matter what had happened the days before. Pulling mostly from their recent LP NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD, with some older classics sprinkled in at the end, the band played an epic, moody, swelling two hour set that felt like the kind of shock to the system I needed.
The bands sound, which came crashing over the crowd in swells and waves, blended their typical rock instruments and strings into a powerful surge of sound that they manipulated into music that, as fans of their music understand, somehow transcend even music with lyrics into something that tells a story far grander than our simple language could ever understand. For a moment, when one of the crescendos was taking form, the repetition reaching spiritual levels, I felt a sense of calm that blended fatigue with sadness and hope, a amalgamation of music and spirit that made me feel, for at least one moment, the belief that we can and will forge forward into something better.
Opening the night was local legend Alan Sparhawk, joined onstage with his son on bass for a set split between his new solo album and classic material . Alan spent the first half of his opening set playing synths and effect pedals on a table, writhing around stage belting auto-tuned vocals in a wretched explosion of emotion that would be visceral even without knowledge that the songs were written following the death of his wife and Low bandmate Mimi. It was both painful and cathartic to see him working through his emotions via these songs. Then he spent the second half of his set playing stripped down guitar versions of some of the songs from the album, plus the Retribution Gospel Choir stunner “JCMF.” It was as raw and exposed as the first half was emotionally charged. While I think some of the post rock heads in the crowd were a bit confused by the whole spectacle, the majority of the crowd ate it up and showed the love that Alan and his performance deserved, lifting up a truly singular artist.
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