Yeasayer Plays Energetic Set in Miami
October 5, 2010
Fillmore Miami Beach, Miami, FL
Written by Kate Dingle
Tuesday night, hundreds gathered to welcome Brooklyn-based Yeasayer to the Fillmore on Miami Beach. Although the crowd was a bit thin (maybe the fact that King James was making his Miami debut just a couple miles away had something to do with it), those who did show up did so to support their favorite music festival regulars.
Having only been around since 2007, the unconventional rockers performed with the ease of seasoned veterans. With their music drawing on everything from hip-hop to world to dance and (a little) Tears For Fears, the visually mismatched (suit jackets and skinny jeans and tank tops) quintet performed to near perfection.
The group took the stage with the creepy, head-tumor “pet” with arms on it from their “Madder Red” video. And as vocalist Chris Keating channeled Kristen Bell (who appears in the video), and serenaded the body-less thing, fans knew it was gonna be a good night. With the exception of the “Miami! I love this town!” from Keating, there was very little banter with the crowd. It was all about the music and the live performance. It seemed as though the act had put just as much thought into the lighting and effects as they did the set list. Although they kept the light very low, strategic bursts of light were planted throughout each tune that seemed to heighten listeners emotions with each burst.
Kicking off the night were locals, Awesome New Republic (ANR) and the one-man-turned-full-band act Washed Out, and each act certainly brought their own uniqueness to the line-up. ANR played to a crowd just bigger than the crowd that converges at the DMV on any random weekday, but that didn’t seem to phase them. By the time they were halfway through their set, several skinny jean clad kids were actually dancing along. Washed Out’s set was a fine mix of Billy Ocean meets some kind of dancy-synth; although it seemed a bit disjointed.
Some would say it was a bizarre night for music, but at least it wasn’t the same cookie-cutter thing. Yeasayer delivered a spot-on performance that gives truth to the saying that hard work pays off.
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