The Revivalists

It’s been a hot summer in every sense of the word, from the record-breaking global warming heat to politics and more. We all need to release, too often cooped up, worrying about all the million-and-one things that we actually should be worrying about. But sometimes that release comes, whether the skies breaking into rain or fans breaking into music, like on Thursday, August 10th at Prospect Park Bandshell (QRO venue review) for BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!, with The Revivalists, Band of Horses, and The Heavy Heavy.

Of course, that same rain can spell death for an outdoor concert (a few days earlier thunder & lightning stopped Carly Rae Jepsen across the East River in Manhattan). But while it drizzled right up into opener The Heavy Heavy’s set, it thankfully let up for the rest of the night. Yes, Prospect Park was wet (VIPs were taken full advantage of their tent), but no more than that. Benjamin Bridwell, frontman of Band of Horses, had wet eyes for other reasons during their co-headline performance, as he told the crowd that he was gonna have to put down his dog tomorrow, “You can’t cry and sing at the same time…” He did later thank the crowd for helping things get better & better, getting closer to the title of their latest record, last year’s great Things Are Great (QRO review) – and he even acknowledged the strangeness of playing that night his breakthrough song, “Funeral”.

Touring off of this year’s strong Pour It Out Into the Night (QRO review), The Revivalists devoted nearly their entire set list to the new album – albeit only nine songs total on the night, what with their big soul-jam (and yes, revival) musical extensions. Singer David Shaw even noted that they had a “super hard curfew” (that happens at public parks), and skipped the usual ‘leave the stage and come back on for the encore’ break so that they could just keep playing.

But they used that stage to maximum literal extension, because there was an extension to the actual stage set up. Just looming there unused during Band of Horses and The Heavy Heavy (and proving awkward for photographers to get around), Shaw got out on it early to get closer to the crowd. But during “Good Old Days”, the first Pour song played, not just Shaw but guitarist Zack Feinberg, saxophonist Rob Ingraham, and even multi-instrumentalist Michael Giradot on horn stepped on out for a big celebration.

And that celebration continued throughout the night. Even Shaw having to pause before Pour’s title track to check on what sounded like a heat-stroked fan up front didn’t ruin the momentum. It’s become more-and-more common for artists to stop their shows when they see someone in medical distress, as they’re more aware of risks and the crowd is more understanding. Plus, Shaw went into the extensive pit for both of the songs in the pseudo-encore, Pour’s “The Long Con” and “Don’t Look Back”.

This hot summer will eventually end, and northerners were eventually get their winter where they wish it was hot (and southerners can go back outside during the day again). But just like you should keep yourself hydrated right now, you should keep giving yourself breaks – and rock out.