Agnes Obel, of Copenhagen Denmark, and her ethereal feminine society made way for The The, only after coaxing a set of languid tribal lullabies. Agnes — soft, blonde & strong — sang out from the dark middle of the stage. Two obscure figures playing Cellos flanked, and a tall Faerie Queen in Easter toned robes banged on what sounded like ceremonial drums.
Strings, drums & piano effervesce in and out.
Voices layer and fold upon each other, folkloric and soothing.
A calm before the storm.
Hustle-bustle and the lights go down.
A thin beam of light opens ingress for Matt Johnson and bandmates’ entrance… “Global Eyes,” a fairly plain and sturdy track off of The The’s 2000 release Naked Self, begins the long list of super sounds from the band. The lights abruptly change. “Arabia, Arabia, Arabia” from “Sweet Bird of Truth” picks up the pace. Devoted fans coolly nod along. An undertow builds, as we haven’t seen a live performance from this band in 17 years.
Another track off Infected — “Heartland” –keeps the band pacing forward. The The’s full and complicated voice is beyond worthy of the adoration at the SF Masonic tonight. Speaking briefly of his 17 year hiatus and sharing of the losses of his younger and older brothers, Matt Johnson was personable and vulnerable. The 2016 documentary, “Inertia Variations,” corroborated his stories. I imagine he wants the house of curious fans to watch it so he could get back to performing.
The crowd feels the heart of the band as they crawl into “Love is Stronger Than Death” and get properly going in “Dogs of Lust”, two tracks on order from 1993’s Dusk.
As the songs is carried forward, the crowd is asked to sing along to “This is the Day,” a song Johnson barely remembers writing in his 20’s. It has an anthemic quality. They play a tamped and simple version, compared to the recorded track. The carolers in the audience give it a larger than life sound organically.
Two thirds of our night later and a groovy ambling form takes shape with “Slow Emotion Replay,” a song that vibes consistently with the Jam and the Replacements. Johnson shows off his cognitive dissonance here. He is a philosopher, I’m sure.
Encore:
We get a little word play from Matt as they begin to edge the show toward its end. “True Happiness” flows into a spirited version of “Uncertain Smile” that includes an uproarious piano solo that completely hoists the key player off his arse. The band, beyond tight, beckons the soft warm light with jazzy ease.
Concluding the night in formation, the versed crowd of fervent listeners lopes along to “Lonely Planet” If you can’t change the world, you can change yourself. Cinematic and hopeful from the Dusk-heavy set.
The The… I beg you… keep touring.
