Review: Fleet Foxes @ The Moore (10-19-2008)

Fleet Foxes played to a sold-out show at the Moore last night

After a lack-lustered performance by the Seneca Wallace-led Seahawks on Sunday Night Football, I decided to hop a bus and catch the Fleet Foxes show at the Moore Theater. Little did I know, the show sold out literally two minutes before I got there. Rather than walking home with my tail between my legs, I hung out around the entrance looking for an extra ticket to buy. Fortunately for me, my persistence paid off - the wonderful Pecknald family and friends had purchased an entire row to see their boy perform and had a ticket up for grabs. Paying much less than if I had ordered through Ticketmaster, I was able to get into the show (and my seat was amazing!).

The night kicked off with a pleasant opening act, Frank Fairfield. This California native seemed to have been born in the wrong era, sporting a button-up shirt and high-waisted trousers that could have been lifted from the Grapes of Wrath wardrobe department. This multi-instrumental performer entertained the crowd with his fiddle/banjo/slide guitar playing ability, sounding at times like the Oh Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack, while at other times the Cold Mountain soundtrack (especially when he played "Sitting On Top of the World"). Once his short set finished, Fleet Foxes wasted little time setting up and were able to start their show by 9:00 sharp.

Fleet Foxes seemed very surprised (and humble) to see a packed house at the Moore. It was almost like they still haven't bought into their fame, yet. The band even joked about this issue, saying that they'll probably have to play the Moore lobby next year. Judging from their live performance and the power of their debut album, I disagree with them wholeheartedly. The band's first set opened with the beautifully harmonized a cappella version of "Sun Giant", which seamlessly led straight into "Sun Rises" - simply amazing. You could tell that these guys were happy to be home playing to their friends and family (lead singer Robin Pecknold's parents were sitting a few rows in front of me) before they head off to Europe for an overseas tour - the banter between songs was very relaxed and genuinely funny.

Half way through the band's set, Pecknold performed a few songs by himself (to give the rest of the band a smoke break), which were breathtakingly in tune with their studio cuts. I was a little afraid that they wouldn't be able to hit all the notes perfectly; however, one might argue that they sounded even better live - no voice cracking, no out-of-tune harmonies, no lyrical miscues - the band played to perfection. After a 50 minute set, the band left the stage, only to return for a 30 minute encore. The first song of the encore was another Pecknold solo - this time a Karen Dalton cover of "Katie Cruel". What made the cover interesting was that Pecknold didn't plug into any amp or even use a microphone, but instead was able to sing loud enough for the whole theater to hear. The band also showcased a new song that sounded on par with any song off of their self-titled LP. To finish the night off, the Foxes played my personal favorite, "Blue Ridge Mountains", and sent all of us Seattlites home with a smile. Walking to catch my bus home with the tune still humming in my head, I felt reminded again why Fleet Foxes are currently my favorite local act (sorry Cave Singers, you're up there at a close second). A setlist for the night is posted below - sorry, I can't remember the order.

Setlist (in no particular order)
Sun Giant
Sun Rises
Your Protector
White Winter Hymnal
Quite Houses
He Doesn't Know Why
Tiger Mountain Peasant Song
Meadowlark
English House
Mykonos
New Song
Drops In The River
Ragged Wood
Katie Cruel (Karen Dalton/traditional cover)
Blue Ridge Mountains