The New Pornographers + The Dodos: 19 June 2010 – New York

Before I begin, I would like to make note of the interesting decision I had to make regarding this show. That choice was between enjoying the beautiful weather at Governor’s Island, checking out the Morning Benders in all their Big Echo glory, or going with the safe route and shooting the veteran super-group, the New Pornographers at Terminal 5. Either way, I knew I was in for an awesome show.

As you read this review, obviously I chose to check out the New Pornographers, a group I have been a fan of for several years now. To be honest, I was skeptical. Their new album, Together, wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, and they hadn’t played together in nearly three years since their last release, Challengers. Thankfully, they ended up playing only a few of their new songs like “Crash Years” and “Your Hands (Together)”, going mostly through their many classic pop anthems like “Use It” and “Sing Me Spanish Techno”. One of the many highlights of the night had to have fallen on Dan Bejar’s sporadic appearances on stage, which yielded entertaining vocals, as well as tons of comedic relief.

I must also make note of the opening bands, the Dodos and the Dutchess and the Duke. The show kicked off with the Dodos, a band that has been on my radar since the release of their 2008 album, Visiter. Lead by Meric Long, the band played an energy packed set, which was capped off by an awesome performance of their hit single, “Fools”. On the other hand, there was the Dutchess and the Duke. While I wasn’t familiar with any of their music, if you heard one of their songs performed, than you had probably heard them all.