Destroyer Live Review / Dan Bejar vs. Bill O'Reilly Conspiracy

On March 31, 2011, I trekked to Pontiac, Michigan to see Destroyer. There isn't much to say about their performance that hasn't been said here or here. The 80-minute set was on point, and a strong argument for the new 8-piece outfit to release an EP consisting of old songs in the new mode (check out their KEXP session for further proof). "It's Gonna Take an Airplane," in particular, benefited from being reworked. As great as it was to hear the bulk of 2011's current AOTY, Kaputt, and an old favorite, "Painter in Your Pocket," the absence of any Streethawk cuts was unfortunate.

To push the night over the top, it would have been perfect to have Dan Bejar come back for a solo encore of "The Sublimation Hour," for instance. As it stood, though, their performance was well-oiled. Bejar nestled into his stance as a lyrical laureate while trumpet, saxophone and flute swirls resonated comfortably in the air.

Bejar remains indie rock's closest answer to Bill O'Reilly's reasoning for the existence of God: "tide comes in, tide goes out, never a miscommunication." Stephen Colbert comically addressed this in January and February. And you might have spotted a similar tide-centric refrain in "Bay of Pigs." Mere coincidence, or some coked-up conspiracy? In the song, Christine White, a recurring inspiration for Bejar's music, is exposed as sealing the lid on the "world's inutterable secret." Let's ask her.

Setlist: Chinatown, Blue Eyes, It's Gonna Take an Airplane, Downtown, My Favorite Year, Kaputt, 3000 Flowers, Painter in Your Pocket, Suicide Demo for Kara Walker, Song for America
Encore: Bay of Pigs