Beirut Brings the Brass
Beirut's upbeat performance stood in stark contrast to the quiet, pensive music they are known for.
Image credit: Photo by Jayme Halbritter
After a five-year hiatus, Beirut finally came back to Minneapolis.
And although Zach Condon and his band got off to a tepid start Friday night at First Avenue, the group eventually settled in and worked their brass magic in front of the enthusiastic, sell-out crowd.
Catapulted to popularity since their last appearance, the six-man band had the crowd fixated from the first notes of “Scenic World” and made sure to acknowledge longtime fans familiar with music that came before their latest album, The Rip Tide.
They hit several sweet spots from their lengthy catalogue, including “The Shrew” and “Elephant Gun.”
The high point, though, was an early “Post Cards from Italy,” which had Condon playing the hell out of his trumpet. Condon and his band moved into the song’s gripping horn breakdown that made jaws hit the floor, playing the piece out to its sweetly strummed ending and making it the highlight of the show.
The upbeat performance stood in stark contrast to the quiet, pensive music Beirut is known for, but the music eventually took on a more nuanced tone.
The piano sounded simply lovely for both “Cherbourg,” and “Goshen,” the latter getting the crowd to settle down a bit and let Condon’s rich voice take them away.
After briefly exiting the stage, the encore started with Condon performing “The Penalty” solo before the rest of the band joined for the churning “The Gulag Orkestar.” Then, with a simple thanks from Condon, “Serbian Čoček,” closed out the stirring show.
Even though the between-song banter was limited and Beirut’s stage presence was humble, it was the music (and those horns) that engaged with an audience who was simply in love with everything they were hearing.
With a catalogue of gorgeous music and a voice like his, falling in love with Condon and Beirut’s performance was irresistible.
Setlist:Scenic World//The Shrew//Elephant Gun//Vagabond//Postcards from Italy//Port of Call//Sunday Smile//Santa Fe//East Harlem//The Akara//Nantes//Cherbourg//Goshen//After the Curtain//Carousels
Encore: The Penalty//My Night With the Prostitute from Marseille//The Gulag Orkestar//Serbian Čoček
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