October 3, 2007

Just whistle while you work...
Andrew Bird plays Higher Ground

Pat Smith | contributing writer
psmith4@smcvt.edu

With a crowd eager to be pleased on Friday night at South Burlington’s Higher Ground, Andrew Bird didn’t have much of a challenge in the way of drawing applause. It was a crowd that came with expectations and very specific tastes. From the opening song on, Bird reassured that those expectations would be met.

The instrumental opening established that he would indeed be whistling and playing his violin throughout. Whether he played the violin as it was intended or finger-picked while holding it like a rich-looking ukulele, the audience was happy, and it sounded good. When he made his way to a mic seemingly intended only for whistling and clapping, the audience became even more enthusiastic; after all, they did come to see if his live whistling could compete with his studio work.

It’s tough to make clear exactly the expanse of Andrew Bird’s whistling skill. It’s not a pleasant gimmick, or a catch. When he played his xylophone, his whistles came perfectly in tune, adding another sound, another layer on top of the other instruments.

For a trio, Bird’s sound was wide and expansive, not just due to his vocal range and skill with guitar, violin and whistling. His voice hit octaves high and low, drifting in-between with concentrated ease. The violin and voice moved together as his hand gestures acted like a calmer, more controlled version of Joe Cocker, moving his hands like they modified the vocals. He held each word for the perfect length, wanting to start it at the right moment, and make it last just long enough, but never a second more. He sang aggressively, sang calmly, and turned a number of songs into spoken word exchanges, met with laughter by the crowd.

Some songs had quick, undeniable pop hooks. Others had Bird playing the violin in a classical style, with the guitarist next to him creating as much juxtaposed distortion as he could. The loudest, most rocking performances of the night came from his latest release, Armchair Apocrypha. Regardless of he and his bandmates’ skills, three people just weren’t enough for them to perform how Bird wanted. His scope of vision and desire to do everything right couldn't compete even with his vast talent. To attempt to recreate this exact album sound, the trio brought with them prerecorded sounds, modified loops and repeats. These added layers of atmosphere that wouldn't have been there, and only served to emphasize what Bird is actually able to accomplish without mechanical help.

Bird ended the show with another new song, “Dark Matter.” This pushed the percentage of songs finally in the direction of Armchair Apocrypha, though the song selection had been varied most of the night. He left the audience waiting for only a few moments before returning for the encore, either a reward for the joy the audience had brought all night, or a business-like disregard for the waste of time before an encore. As he left the stage again to massive applause, the crowd had clearly enjoyed its night of fancy pop.