Beirut Played Brooklyn Masonic Temple

Tonight was such a fun night. After drudging around most of the day, I took my camera with me in the evening, hoping for a call informing me of a photopass for James Blunt. I found myself wandering in Fort Greene, and remembered that Beirut was playing a Wordless Music Series concert at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple. I found the venue 5 minutes before the concert started, got one of the last tickets at the door, and got the thumbs up from Ba Da Bing founder Ben to shoot the show. I also figured, "heck, if I don't shoot tonight, when's the next chance I'll have to shoot at a Masonic Temple?"

First up was Fifth Veil, a group made up of Bard College Conservatory of Music students. The quintet played Osvaldo Golijov's The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind, which is really an exceptional piece. I have a feeling most of the audience didn't really get into their performance until the 3rd movement, which included more upbeat Balkan styled sections similar to Beirut's debut album, Gulag Orkestar. I was quite impressed with the group's precision, and it was nice to catch a nicely polished chamber group for the first time in awhile.

Zach Condon and friends entered the stage to a packed, yet calm house. It wasn't until after the 2nd song people got up from their seats to dance and push towards the stage (though the balcony stayed seated throughout the night), but once they were up, the energy was hot. Speaking of hot, Condon wouldn't stop complaining about the "sweltering heat" in the city these days. The space is similar is size to Bowery Ballroom, the last place I saw Beirut, and the night was comparable to that amazing night in May.

The evening was especially exciting because a good portion of the setlist was new to us. Beirut's sophomore effort, The Flying Club Cup, comes out in early October, so about half of the tracks were new to my ears. It was cool to hear the combination of Balkan and French styles, and I think it's safe to say the upcoming album will not disappoint. They were obviously working out some kinks throughout the night. On "Cliquots," the band had a particularly tough time: after finally getting the accordion part right at the beginning, they struggled through and had to stop when they were playing in two different keys. "Dude, it's a D," was the response from one band member, and they promptly started over.

"Elephant Gun" was one of the best tracks of the night, right up there with "Brandenburg," "Scenic World," and "Gulag Orkestar." I also really liked the song they ended with, an unnamed tune Zach just referred to as "Closing Song." All the instrumentations were tight, and the group was definitely in sync. Vocals were clear and the sound at the Temple was great. All in all an awesome night, and I'm only now coming down from the high it gave me.

If you're in the New York area, take the chance and check out Beirut - they're playing two more shows in the city in the next week if you can get ahold of tix. Also, October 9th be ready to drop a few bucks for their new album.

More photos here.

Beirut Setlist:
Cocek
Nantes
Brandenburg
A Sunday Smile
In the Mausoleum
Elephant Gun
Carousels
The Penalty
Cliquot
Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)
Scenic World
Forks and Knives (La Fête)
Postcards from Italy
Cherbourg
Flying Club Cup

After the Curtain
Gulag Orkestar
Closing Song

[mp3] Beirut - "Cliquot" (The Flying Cup Club) | Not Yet Available

[mp3] Beirut - "Closing Song" (Live at SXSW) | Not Available