Built To Spill
October 9 at The National
A friend told me that the main reason to see Built to Spill live is to hear Doug Martsch’s vocals. This is partially true–Martsch does have a unique voice and a distinctive style–but it is hardly the main reason you should see this band live. It’s certainly not for the excitement of their live show, either, as Built To Spill have neither the stage presence nor the charisma to carry you through the performance. The main reason to see them live is simply to hear great music played flawlessly.
Built To Spill
October 9 at The National
A friend told me that the main reason to see Built to Spill live is to hear Doug Martsch’s vocals. This is partially true–Martsch does have a unique voice and a distinctive style–but it is hardly the main reason you should see this band live. It’s certainly not for the excitement of their live show, either, as Built To Spill have neither the stage presence nor the charisma to carry you through the performance. The main reason to see them live is simply to hear great music played flawlessly.
Having only heard one full-length album by Built to Spill, 1999’s Keep it Like a Secret, I did not entirely know what to expect from this show. Live, the songs sound a lot more inspired by Neil Young than I would have anticipated from the recordings, but in retrospect the influence is certainly there. Even Martsch’s telltale vocal style echoes Young.
The sound at the National is arguably the best in the city, and this show was one of the best I’ve seen in terms of audio-quality. The levels were perfect, adding to the “sit back and listen” character of the concert.
Beyond playing their songs flawlessly, Built To Spill does little with the live show to sell itself to the crowd. The music speaks for itself, and there is no need for embellishment. It was actually refreshing to see a band whose audience filled the National casually walk out on stage, tune up their own instruments, and start playing. No grand entrance, no pretense, just a band who has been doing this almost every day for fifteen to twenty years.
The first time words other than “thanks” left Martsch’s mouth was near the end of the set, when he announced, “This is an old Grateful Dead song.” They then played a spot-on cover of “Ripple.” I’m not a huge Grateful Dead fan, but this worked.
After a few more songs, Martsch once again softly spoke, “thanks,” and the band walked off the stage. The encore began with two acoustic songs, prefaced by Martsch asking the audience to be quiet. He had opted out of putting a microphone on his guitar in order to preserve sound quality. After the brief acoustic interlude, the band rejoined him onstage. They played three more electric songs, and they were gone. Their exit from the stage was as humble as their entrance.
“Thanks.”
