Bishop Allen Play Exclusive Chicago Show

Posted on Feb 6th 2010 1:00PM by Garin Pirnia
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When Brooklyn group Bishop Allen toured the country last fall, for some reason they didn't include Chicago in their itinerary. With no other tour dates in sight, they played an extra special show Friday night at Lincoln Hall in Chicago.

The group played a succinct, one-hour set that mostly drew from their sophomore record, 'The Broken String' and a handful from 'Charm School' and 'Grrr...' Even though the band is supposedly recording their follow-up to 'Grrr...', no new songs were presented except for a cover of Devo's 'Gates of Steel.'

"Have you heard of Devo?" lead singer Justin Rice asked the audience before digging into the melodic cover. The band exchanged Devo's synths for a cascading xylophone effect while Rice and band mate Christian Rudder wailed on their guitars in true rock star fashion.

Before blanketing the '80s, Bishop Allen opened with 'Another Wasted Night' replete with thumping percussion and singer Darbie Nowatka helming the xylophone. As they sped through jangly pop songs 'The Ancient Commonsense of Things,' 'Like Castanets' and 'The Same Fire,' Rice occasionally jogged in place, told anecdotes about summer camp, and conjured head-bobbing from the crowd. Nowatka had her moment in the spotlight when she sang the lilting solo of 'Butterfly Nets.' The combination of her cherubic voice and Rudder's ukulele caused the audience to fall silent and give the performance their undivided attention. When she finished, the crowd exploded into applause.

"I don't know why I always come to Chicago in the extreme cold," Rice confessed to the audience. "Is it always this cold?" He played 'Oklahoma' and 'Dimmer' from their latest record, then the ballad-driven 'Flight 180,' which incited some audience members to dance along. "This is a song about getting your lights punched out," Rice prefaced the first encore, 'Rooftop Brawl,' that exuded a trotting gait. 'Middle Management,' the band's most recognizable song due to its inclusion in the tween film 'Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist', led the band to convulse and rock out near the end.

After the song finished, someone in the audience threw a small piece of paper onto the stage. Rice picked it up, gave it a cursory glance and then gave it to Rudder, who pocketed it. Now stationed at the xylophone, Rice cryptically berated the audience that they shouldn't bring weapons to a concert because there are no metal detectors. It was unclear if the comment was related to that piece of paper or just a random barb. Nowatka ignored the crowd's request for 'Shanghaied' and instead performed a less twangy version of 'Ghosts Are Good Company' from 'Charm School' -- this time dueting with Rudder. Once again, the crowd hushed and allowed the twinkling melodies to carry them into the night.

Bishop Allen on AOL Music