[Photo courtesy of Secretly Canadian]
Whitney has been contributing their music to my life in ways I never would have imagined upon first hearing them. The incredibly unique arrangements they offer have acted as prominent features in the soundtrack of my 2016-17 school year. Whitney’s debut album, Light Upon the Lake, is undoubtedly a healthy supplement to the experiences I’ve been gaining this year, and the emotional attachment I feel to the record generated in me an excitement for their concert at Neumos this past April 11, 2017 that I had not felt for a show since I saw Paul McCartney at KeyArena over a year ago. I’m not sure if the expectations I had for Whitney’s show were fair to the band, but I was confident in their ability to transform the tracks on their album to create a live performance equally as stimulating and exciting and all around new as Light Upon the Lake had been for the past year.
It wasn’t fair of me to expect this of Whitney.
The reason I’m giving myself the blame for being less than overwhelmed by their performance is because their performance was actually fantastic—they were incredibly tight with each other, all of the bandmates knew what the others were thinking, and the songs were just as clean and crisp as they are on the album. Asking more of them, from the point of view of a reporter, would be an injustice.
However, from the point of view of a fan, my complaint is that the performance was more or less identical to the recordings. Every detail of the songs seemed to mirror what I had been listening to through earphones and speakers for a year. Even the guitar solos matched the recordings to the tee. I know, it’s not fair to ask that they improvise, and it’s not fair to criticize this band for being so well practiced… but my overall enthusiasm about the show was diminished because of this. I felt like they did not offer any surprises. And the worst part of it was that it’s so easy to tell how talented these guys are. The guitarist was ripping these intensely complicated lines; the trumpet was powerfully dictating thematic elements of the songs; and the singer/drummer was simultaneously steering the tempo in a steady demeanor, as well as singing beautifully over the rest of the music. They could easily add a “jam” element to their show without compromising the integrity of their song writing if they decided to.
On top of this lack of wonder I felt, I was not a fan of how robotic the band seemed. This also relates to how they refrained from taking improvisational risks, but mostly I’m thinking about their body language and attitude on stage. I know it’s super indie-rock to act all self-conscious in front of crowds and people, so I understand the appeal of doing it. But, the attitude seeped into the music, and contributed to an absence of dynamic passion. They acted like they were just going through the motions of a regular old concert, telling the audience that they were going to go through the routine of saying goodnight, leaving the stage, and coming back a few minutes later for an encore before actually saying goodnight.
In an effort to be fair to Whitney, a band I still adore despite my complaints, I should reiterate how tight they were. It’s easy to realize that the group has practiced diligently to reach the level of perfection they’ve gotten to. And, I should also mention that I left Neumos smiling. I took the chance to see one of favorite new bands play a show, and that’s a magical feeling.
A particularly memorable moment was when they played their hit “Golden Days.”
This song conjures personal memories of cruising down a highway in Arkansas, halfway through a cross-country adventure, screaming out the “Na naa na naa” part with my friend, so I was able to, in a sense, come full circle from this moment and silently thank Whitney for allowing that particular memory to reach flawlessness. In the present, it seemed like the entire crowd became sentimental about personal memories, and collectively thanked the group for the inter-life contributions by swaying vehemently, and shouting out the melody.
Whitney did Seattle a service by performing at Neumos on April 11th. However, allowing themselves to utilize their creativity within their live shows would be doing Whitney a service.
JASON MCCUE | Promotions Director | Light Upon the Pancake