Sailing into the Sunset: Weakerthans Concert Review

Wouldn't you like to see your favorite band on this boat?

I last saw the Weakerthans five years ago in a tiny, filled-to-overlowing club in Columbus, Ohio. It was a hot late-July night, even hotter inside. The crowd stood shoulder to shoulder in the stifling heat, our heads nearly touching the low ceiling, and all I could see of the band was John K. Samson's head as he stood, eyes closed, pouring his soul out into the humid Midwestern air.

It was quite a contrast to the cool June, Manhattan evening on board a boat as it cruised up and down the Hudson River, huge windows providing a panoramic view of New York and New Jersey to my front, back and both sides. From the railing of the mezzanine I looked over the heads of the crowd at Samson's torso and guitar - his head was obscured by a banner - as both he and the ship rocked beneath me.

Christine Fellows' piano - and occasionally ukulele - driven tunes provided a peaceful and fitting soundtrack as the ship left the dock and made its way up to the George Washington Bridge. Her songs, filled with equal parts grace and disarming quirkiness, matched perfectly the late afternoon sun and breeze flowing in through wide open windows.

As she finished her set, excitement began to build among one of the most varied crowds I'd ever seen at a show. There were the expected amounts of hipsters in their odd, clashing outfits, a number of punk rockers in ripped jeans and shirts, some very suburban looking parents (unaccompanied by kids no less!), some newly 21 college kids and a small cluster of businessmen still in their suits. As the boat began making its way south, equipment was set up and the Weakerthans launched into a set that I'm not sure I'll be able to fully capture in words.

Opening with "Letter of Resignation", they alternated fast and slower-paced songs, throwing in three fantastic-sounding tracks from their upcoming record, set to release this fall. "Watermark", "Confessions of a Futon Revolutionist", "Our Retired Explorer (Dines With Michel Foucault in Paris, 1961)", and "Greatest Hits Collection", among many others, electrified the crowd and nullified the by-now slightly disconcerting listing of the boat. Alternately the airy and spacey "Slips and Tangles", "One Great City!", and set closer "Favorite Chords" were enhanced by the slight shifts, creating an atmosphere of hazy surreality.

Ultimately there is not much I can write that will do justice to this singular experience. How can I convey the feeling of hearing the first bars of "Aside" - a song I once claimed as Anthem of My Life - as I looked up to see the Statue of Liberty elegantly framed against the backdrop of a gorgeously blue sky? Or what it's like watching the New York skyline slip by at sunset as the perfect and poignant "Left and Leaving" echoes through the room and over the water?

A fantastic show by a fantastic band, and one I'm going to remember for a long time to come.

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