the mysterious sound of andrew bird

the concert at webster hall last thursday night was full of pleasant surprises,
from the collared shirts and ties the band was wearing,
to the spinning double gramophone in the background.

andrew bird was the center of constant movement...
pushing loop pedals with his feet and creating layers of lush instrumentation,
sometimes holding the violin like a guitar and playing pizzicato (with the guitar slung behind him),
sometimes playing the guitar, then the glockenspiel,
whistling, waving his bow in the air, taking dramatic steps across the stage,
almost like he could have well done without the drummer or the bassist.
and as it was, when standing alone onstage, he was a one-man show.
utterly charming and serious at the same time.
with his lanky frame and unruly hair, and especially in his suit,
he strangely reminded me of my favorite history professor in scotland.

early on, his sock monkey was introduced to the crowd,
and enjoyed the performance while propped up behind him.
we ate it all up and waited to see what he would do next.
at one point he was pulling the cord of a fisher price toy,
holding it up in the air as it played into the microphone.
the music ranged from plaintive to upbeat, making heads nod,
the crowd singing along delightedly as soon as they heard 'heretics'.
if this was the only concert i went to this year,
i'd be satisfied.