 |
| Band of Horses @ the Greek Theatre (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Ben Bridwell brought the latest incarnation of Band of Horses to play the middle set of a three-band 6 pm concert Thursday evening at UC Berkeley’s Greek Theatre. Despite a late-arriving crowd and having to play most of their set under late summer sun instead of an electrifying light show, Bridwell and his bandmates gained momentum throughout the show and were thoroughly engaging for the audience.
 |
| Band of Horses @ the Greek Theatre (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Singer-songwriter Bridwell is the last original member of the band formed in Seattle nearly 20 years ago, but his unique vocal stylings and songs have always been the band’s trademark with a style that elevates from tender to country to American to anthemic rock - often within the same song. Thursday night they strolled onto the stage at 6:45 pm and led off the night with “The Great Salt Lake” – a song that changes pace frequently in Bridwell’s style. Make no mistake, this is not just Bridwell and hired guns. Drummer Creighton Moore and Keyboards/Guitarist Ryan Monroe have been in the band since 2006 and 2007 respectively. Bassist Matt Gentling did a year back in 2007 before coming back in 2017 and Thursday he provided a substantial amount of energy out front for the band as he remained in constant motion. Lead guitarist Brett Nash is the newbie of the group – having just joined last year after the making of 2022’s Things Are Great - but he certainly seemed to be a nice fit both musically and in his interactions with his bandmates at their Greek show.
 |
| Matt Gentling & Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses @ the Greek Theatre (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
2007’s “Is There a Ghost” was the second song – introduced by Bridwell with “this song has about 10 good words to it.” This led into one of the band’s biggest hits, “Laredo,” off the Grammy-nominated Infinite Arms. By that point, the crowd had gone from sparse to nearly filled-in and many rose for this song. Rather than starting slowly and building, Laredo starts fast and firm and carries momentum all the way through. Monroe came down from the elevated keyboards to add guitar and the entire band seemed to have a blast with the song as they played off each other throughout.
 |
| Band of Horses @ the Greek Theatre (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
The starting time of 6 pm and the show being sold as a seated concert even in the pit, contributed to both a late arriving crowd and a mellow tone at the outset. Only the last two songs of Band of Horses came after the sun had slipped below the horizon. “Lights” off the latest album was even faster-paced with Nash really shining on guitar and Monroe’s background vocals adding nice depth. “Crutch” another of the new songs followed and was met with a warm reception from the crowd. Interestingly, both new songs seemed to stand out for a more straight-forward rock approach than the band’s signature sound. The third and final of the new songs that appeared later “Warning Signs” returned to their style and featured some terrific drumming by Moore as he and Gentling drove the pace changes back and forth between fast anthemic to slow and drifting.
 |
| Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses @ the Greek Theatre (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
The pace came down to a sweet, drunken swaggering with “Marry Song” with Nash laying in fantastic slide guitar and tight harmonies accompanied by rolling drums. “This could be the only place on earth that we could feel this much love,” Bridwell told the crowd after the song had hit its crescendo and swerved into it parking spot. The swinging, sentimental “Older” followed with a spotlight on Monroe getting the spotlight on keys and taking the lead vocals. Band of Horses followed with their only cover of the night – Brooks & Dunn’s “Neon Moon,” which they have covered many times in the past. The band makes substantial changes to their setlist order every night lending to a feeling of a loose concert structure, but this is not a jam band. Band of Horses does not stray too far from their recordings and so their 14-song set was delivered in a crisp 70 minutes.
 |
| Band of Horses @ the Greek Theatre (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
“No One’s Gonna’ Love You” was clearly the song most known by Thursday’s audience and met with many hugging couples and lots of hands held. Bridwell’s voice was at its heartaching best as he took it to the height of his range. By this point, the sun had begun to set and the song seemed a natural soundtrack to the beautiful environment of The Greek. “NW Apt.” was a crazy tour de force with the Moor and Gentling driving a breakneck pace and the brotherhood of this incarnation seeming to be in full-view as they blasted engine back to full throttle. As the stage lights took full effect, 2007’s “Ode to LRC” was an anthemic triumph delivered with power and intensity with the tender interludes executed perfectly. “The Funeral” showed the band at its bombastic best – building energy as the song’s power rose higher and higher. Bridwell grabbed his drumstick and tambourine to finish the night with the band’s most Americana song - and traditional closer - “The General Specific” to bring their set to a close and put a last buzz of electricity into the crowd.
 |
| The Heavy Heavy @ the Greek Theatre (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Earlier, The Heavy Heavy opened the night with a set that leaned heavily on the sound of 70’s retro rock n roll. The Brighton, England based band featured the vocals and energy of lead singer Georgie Fuller, who sounded like she could have been raised on the Sunset Strip. Co-founder Will Turner was great taking a share of lead vocals and harmonizing with Fuller. Songs like the fast-spirited “Miles and Miles,” “Go Down River” (a song that seemed to bring the sound of The Mamas and The Papas into modern times) and “Man of the Hills” stood out.
 |
| The Revivalists @ the Greek Theatre (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
The Revivalists took the headline spot and the New Orleans band delivered an energetic and visually stunning set. Lead singer David Shaw brought towering charisma to his performance and immediately ignited even the mellowest in the crowd. Co-founder, Guitarist Zack Feinberg provided the calm, driving force on lead guitar and seemed content to be further from the spotlight. Saxophonist Rob Ingraham was amazing, both musically with his soaring solos and energetically with his non-stop movement.
 |
| The Revivalists @ the Greek Theatre (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Opening with “All My Friends,” Shaw roamed the stage from end-to-end and out to a ramp that extended in front and delivered his lyrics in a powerful combination of rapping and melodies. While some Band of Horses’ fans may have made an early exit during the break between acts, those who remained were no doubt blown away by The Revivalists. This band also changes their setlist on a nightly basis to keep it fresh. The Revivalists played the majority of their biggest hits including “It Was a Sin”, “Wish I Knew You,” “Kid” and many others – closing the night with a cover of Radiohead’s “High and Dry.”
Thanks for reading and while you're at it, you can follow us as well here: Instagram | Facebook.
