Show Review: Built to Spill at the 9:30 Club, 9/23/08

NOTE: This review was written on 9/24, when I was first toying with the idea of creating a blog. I've resurrected it here for your pleasure.

I’m lying in bed at 2 in the morning, kept awake by that feeling of vertigo you get from live music, collected like puddles on your dented eardrums. I have just come back from seeing Built to Spill play 1997’s Perfect from Now On in its entirety at the 9:30 Club. Void of rest, I am turning over an incomplete analogy in my mind: "Built to Spill is the [insert great rock band] of my time."

It’s a fair question, at least for a sleepless night. BtS has put out six full length albums, at least three of which are alternative classics. They have a tremendous stage presence and a polished sound which transcends the “indie” identity of their contemporaries. The live show is spontaneous yet consistently engaging. The band has gotten tighter with age and, let’s face it, Doug Martsch has some good fucking chops.

Tonight, playing to a 9:30 Club that was packed but definitely not predisposed, they took unquestioned command for their hour-and-a-half set. My fourth time seeing BtS and that’s what gets me every time: quality. That’s a boring way to put it, especially when Doug is one of the more emotionally insightful songwriters around, but seriously, these guys just know what they’re doing, and the listeners know.

So, back to my equation. Built to Spill=[BAND X] of my time. Maybe its ridiculous, but I’m inclined to think big. On one hand, they’ve outshined most of the 90’s scene and continue to prove themselves live, so I’ve got no problem comparing them with the big names. On the other hand, they’ve left no mark on other artists—not their fault, but I can knock out the Beatles, Stones, and Zeppelin. How about the Who? Too much energy. Maybe BtS is a post-punk Who; that’s a possibility. Neil Young? That’s a comparison that gets made because of Martsch’s voice, but the drenching guitars aren’t that far off either. BTS is spacier, with more jamming. Pink Floyd? There’s a piece of it, but it's less conceptual. Southern Rock, i.e. Skynrd? Hard to see that—more down to earth northwest angsty, and for BtS, the album always takes precedence over the jam, if that makes sense.

While I’m considering it, a few notes on the show:

• The 9:30 Club, while pricey, does a great job with ambiance for a show like this. The lighting and sound are superb, both thanks to the lofty ceiling, which gives shows an outdoors-at-night feel. For this set it felt particularly right.

• One bad thing about being the premiere DC rock venue: 9:30 club seems to attract a lot of “accidental” audience members who look confused about why they are there, and often trying hard to make up for it by drinking and trying too hard. They were out in force tonight.

• Caught the end of the opener-opener, the Drones, who sounded very good through the 2½ songs I heard.

• The Meat Puppets were the main opener. This comes from someone who admits to not fully grasping their importance: this was bad.

• The bassist of the Meat Puppets looks like Willem Defoe in a wig.

• Doug Martsch and other BtS members sat on the VIP balcony and watched both opening bands play. I have seen Martsch in the crowd at other shows, watching his openers. Always thought that was a cool thing to do, and says a lot about his dedication to music, especially after years of touring and hundreds of opening bands.

• As advertised, setlist included all of Perfect from Now On (I love this idea, by the way), plus a 2-song encore: “Going Against Your Mind” and “Virginia, Reel Around the Fountain.” After the first two songs, we got our only memorable crowd interaction of the night from Martsch: “That’s the end of side one. I think. Does anyone have the record? Is it the end of side one? I listened to the record once; the first pressing.”

• Standouts (for me) included “Randy Described Eternity,” “I Would Hurt a Fly” and “Velvet Waltz,” also “Going…” from the encore, which I hadn’t heard live but really dug.

• One knock on the setlist: this show broke my streak of BtS concerts where they have closed with a classic rock cover. I have seen them play Freebird (2000), Cortes the Killer (2003) and While my Guitar gently Weeps (2005). Have to admit, I was a little disappointed when they closed without a cover.

Final thought: This was not the best BtS show I’ve ever been to, but the album-setlist format was a great idea with even better timing. By honest standards, BtS’s last two albums were sub-par. A coda to the emotionally articulate and moving Perfect gives one the strange feeling of reminiscing for a time that you don’t even realize you miss, and a renewed sense of gratefulness for the band capable of capturing/creating it. It was a welcome reminder.

Meanwhile, back in bed: I briefly settle on the verdict that BtS is a Pacific Northwest version of the Allman Brothers, meets Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. Before I can acknowledge that this suggestion is delusional in multiple regards, I’ve slipped into a pleasant half-consciousness, repeating tonight’s endless refrain:

I’m gonna be perfect from now on
I’m gonna be perfect…starting now.