As I took my seat, I was immediatley impressed by the fact that there was nearly a full house that had wisely arrived early in order to catch the entire opening set by Dosh. (His full name is Martin Luther King Chavez Dosh. So I think I've got a good idea about the political upbringing of this talented Minneapolis-based musician!). To be quite honest, I was as excited to see Dosh as Andrew Bird. I really enjoy his style of experimental-chill-ambient electronica. (OK - there is probably a more appropriate genre classification somewhere. . . )

Dosh came out with Mike Lewis and played a few compositions, before being joined by Jeremy Ylvisaker on guitar. Their 45 minute set was fantastic, and the audience was extremely attentive. In fact, in my experience the "pin drop" quiet from the crowd during this performance is seldom matched. Of course, this being the Union Theatre, the music sounded beautiful. (Kudos to "Neil" on sound.) It was a great prelude for things to come.

After a short intermission, Andrew Bird took the stage together with Dosh and Jeremy. They played a really nice set of music with a heavy emphasis on the last two albums - Armchair Apocrypha and The Mysterious Production of Eggs. I completely enjoyed the aural experience at this show. My only criticism of the performance is that Andrew seemed intent on wanting the crowd to start a"rock n' roll dance party" - and this audience (myself included) was having none of that. I like his music and he performs with passion and energy - but it's not on the setlist for my rock n' roll dance party, and this theater is rarely the place for dancing in the aisles.

And of course, there is always at least one girl screaming "You're hot,". "Take off your shirt" and "I love you." (I hope there was irony in this, but there was certainly too much alcohol. . . I had to laugh at the person who promptly followed up with "You're moderately attractive!")

I have to give props to the students on the Union Music Committee for pursuing this show. This was such a fantastict venue to fully appreciate the Andrew Bird sound, and he had some really cool gear on stage - including a custom-made Janus horn and a spinning double horn - that was able to take advantage of this setting. Jake Naughton (who took all the photos above) thought that "the avant-garde-esque stop motion projections added a beautiful element to the show that really elevated it to something fantastic." I couldn't agree more.

Finally, I've got to admit that Andrew Bird is an awesome whistler. Apparently, when your last name is Bird you've got a leg up in this department. . .

For a great interview with Dosh, click [here].
For an interesting perspective on Andrew Bird in operation, watch this YouTube video.
For more photos, check out my Flickr account.