Band of Horses

It used to be that rockers had to be wrinkled and infirm before they ever got to play Carnegie Hall. But now, with nearly all of NYC’s art institutions struggling to find new/bigger audiences, contemporary acts like Band of Horses can get their moment while still in their prime. Perhaps they weren’t as polished as a typical Carnegie invite, but I thought their amateurism was endearing. There was real sincerity from these guys and you knew that they were as psyched to be playing Carnegie Hall as I was to see them there.

A band called Arbouretum opened the show. I’ll be honest -- I’d never heard their music before. They have an epic, folk-driven sound that was a nice compliment to what was up next. Good, but nothing to write home about. However, when Ben Bridwell’s craggy, pastoral voice filled the room about an hour later, I felt my eyes well up.

Here’s what it looked like:



Here's what it sounded like:



The show was sick. The setting was incredible. The company was the best. I can’t wait to see them again soon.