FLEET FOXES at Massey Hall, Thursday, July 14. Rating: NNNN
Few bands are as well suited to Massey Hall as Seattle’s Fleet Foxes.
Their impeccable harmonies, skilful playing and attention to dynamics – they’d probably sound okay in a concrete bunker – were pristine in the venerable concert hall. That didn’t go unnoticed by the band, who first headlined it in 2009. Upon taking the stage, singer Robin Pecknold expressed his gratitude by saying that the way the room is arranged feels “like a hug.”
The good vibes carried on throughout the 90-minute set. The band even responded with good-natured sarcasm to some audience members’ inane between-song comments. Pecknold led the six-piece through songs from both albums, with the set weighted in favour of this year’s Helplessness Blues.
While their voices and Pecknold’s guitar-playing always get lots of credit, drummer Josh Tillman and keyboardist Casey Wescott went above and beyond with their playing, adding expert flourishes to the layers of sound.
