Broken Bells at First Avenue
Broken Bells kick off tour in Minneapolis
Broken Bells kicked off their 2014 tour at First Avenue in Minneapolis in support of their recently released sophomore album After the Disco. The sold out mainroom was treated to a tight, and at times skull rattling hour and a half set by James Mercer and Danger Mouse. Mercer’s voice sounded strong from the beginning, and he was quick to point out how much fun the band was having playing their new material live for the first time.
Danger Mouse stood stage right with an unvarying look of indifference all evening, laying down a deep low-end beat whether on keyboard, bass, or drums. The pounding sound he created emoted plenty of brilliance nevertheless, while Mercer stepped back and forth from his pod, with a beard speckled in grey, pouring sweat into his lyrics.
“After the Disco” sounded incredible, as did “Holding On For Life”, the disco-infused first single from the new album which was played in the middle of the set and backed on vocals by the opening trio Au Revoir Simone. That was definitely a highlight of the evening. Of course hits from their 2010 self-titled debut like “The Ghost Inside” and “The High Road” sounded great and brought a huge crowd response as well.
Au Revoir Simone, the all female dream pop trio from Brooklyn, NY opened the show with a gorgeous swaying set that matched their beautiful looks. They later returned to back Broken Bells on vocals for the last half of the show. Broken Bells were wise in choosing Au Revoir Simone as an opener for the tour, and here’s to hoping they make it back to Minneapolis soon.
There’s not a better venue in town that Broken Bells could have played, and Minneapolis was very fortunate to hear the songs from After the Disco live for the first time. Broken Bells at First Avenue was fantastic.
Photos taken for Twin Cities Daily Planet.
Broken Bells
Au Revoir Simone
Broken Bells – First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 2.28.14 Setlist
A Perfect World
The Ghost Inside
After The Disco
The Waiting Game
The Mall and Misery
The Angel & the Fool
Holding On For Life
Vaporize
Control
Meyrin Fields
Sailing To Nowhere
Medicine
The Changing Lights
Leave It Alone
The High Road
Encore:
Citizen
October
Trap Doors
