This Strange Plan is Random at Best

Built to Spill played Thursday night at Bogarts. As fortune would have it, I was able to make it down for the show.

I hadn't stepped inside the doors of Bogart's probably since the Afghan Whigs were the Afghan Whigs and Shag was Shag. In other words, it's been years. In my younger days, a trip to Bogarts carried with it anticipation and intimidation. As youthful and innocent music lovers, we were in our element there and we were sorely out of it at the same time.

Making an appearance at Bogarts Thursday night, I immediately felt the clarity that my chubby cheeks of childhood had melted away. I was surrounded by kids. But, hell, once Built to Spill began to play, I felt like a kid too.

Dan introduced me to Built to Spill probably a year ago. We were running around Winton Woods and he was describing to me a song he'd heard where the lyrics refer to lyrics of famous songs. "you were wrong when you said everything's going to be all right...You were right when you said all that glitters isn't gold...you were right when you said all we are is dust in the wind...you were right when you said that you can't always get what you want..." You get the point. I still can't run around Winton Woods without thinking of that song. Some things stick with you. So, he gave me this cd of his then favorite Built to Spill songs and I carried that cd with me to Colorado. Over the hills and through the valleys of Rocky Mountain National Park, I absorbed those songs. When listening to the recorded Built to Spill, it's the lyrics more than anything that grab me:

"if it isn't clear than clear the way for something dear"; "open up your window to the world if you want the world to bring you happiness"; "this strange war of promises...lets call it a truce, let's call it the truth"; "happiness will only happen when it can"; "I wanna see movies of my dreams"

In concert, however, the lyrics took a backseat. I couldn't hear them anyway. The guitars owned the show. Melodic, operatic, they consumed the stage, the air above us, the air between us. They spewed fire at us and twisted our vision. It was awesome.

It was awesome when they were playing. Built to Spill's stage presence did not impress me in the least. They allowed strange, dead air between every song while tuning their instruments. It felt almost as if we were watching a rehearsal rather than a professional performance.
I'll forgive them, though, because, damn, they can play.