Sometimes you just get lucky. You have to smile when you arrive at a concert venue 10 minutes before the doors open, and somehow end up standing first-row-center-stage of general admission. However, this was the case on the evening of September 16 for Ms. S. Rod and I when we saw the group Zero 7 at Webster Hall in Manhattan.
After dining on sandwiches and home-brewed lagers at the Heartland Brewery in Union Square, we made our way down to get in line. To our surprise, the bouncers divided out all of the Will-Call ticketholders, putting us only ten people down once the doors opened. We walked in, proceeded directly to the metal barrier that was three feet from the stage edge, and basked in our amazement. Sure, we had to wait another hour until the opening act, but the sacrifice to the concert gods would yield a shower of musical bliss.
Of course, depending on the band, first-row-center-stage could be a deathwish for your eardrums if feedback is a heavy component. Luckily it wasn't a part of Zero 7's sonic arsenal. It also helped that the crowd was the age range of 20 to 30 - and we would not have to worry about being trampled by pre-pubescent teens.
For those not familiar with Zero 7 - the downtempo and primarily electronic band is the brainchild of Brit musicians Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker. Since neither of these two are vocalists, they have employed a handful of singers over their seven year, three album career, including Sia Furler, Mozez, Tina Dico, Sophie Barker, and José González.
Similar to the style that Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails employs, Zero 7 has a live band that reinterprets most of the electronic beats and riffs. Like Reznor, Binns and Hardaker play a major part of the onstage performance, each switching between pianos, synths, and percussion — most times in the middle of the songs! Throw in a drummer, bassist, guitarist, and additional keyboardist, and the stage had a lot of action going on.
Like their most recent album The Garden, the vocalists for the show were Sia Furler and Jose Gonzalez. The band maintained a very nice pace, switching between a cluster of Sia's vocal tracks, then some of Jose's. While Zero 7 is the marquee name, this show was also about celebrating the talents of these two vocalists.
Article comments
1 - S.Rod
Mark, an excellent recount of the show but you forgot to mention how Sia was mixing and passing drinks out to the rest of the band and stage hands. In my opinion, that was very thoughtful of her. I wish she would have passed some to us.
Next time we go to Webster Hall remind me to wear flat shoes. Standing for almost 4 hours didn't do my back or feet any good.