Review: Andrew Bird Returns to Seattle on ‘Are You Serious’ Tour
Andrew Bird‘s career over the last 20 years or so has nothing to do with luck. He constantly displays his musical talent through his material, and finds new ways to keep growing and captivating his followers. His latest release Are You Serious, which came out earlier in the year, has seen much success and mostly sold-out venues on his extensive tour. This first leg is ending soon, but he’s back on the road in September again, stopping by Bumbershoot on his way.
The show kicked off shortly after 9:30 with “Journey in Satchidananda,” an Alice Coltrane cover, followed by the new “Capsized,” “Lusitania,” “Puma,” and “Left Handed Kisses.” The album version is a duet with Fiona Apple, but she wasn’t around to sing tonight. Portland had the luck to see Corin Tucker join him on stage for the duet the night before.
Even though the violin is his primary instrument, he still played a fair amount of guitar and the glockenspiel, which were part of the setup. He was joined by three other musicians on stage to make the show very intimate, as he sometimes plays loops to fill in the sound on his own. The night was nothing short of magical, as he mesmerized with his violin and soft vocals.
He finished his main set with “Pulaski” and “Armchairs,” then came out setting up an acoustic mike to the right of the stage. Here his guitarists joined him with his violin and sang a cover of “Harvest” unplugged. They continued with “Give it Away,” returning to the middle of the stage with “Orpheo” and ending the night with “The New Saint Jude,” giving Seattle one last satisfying taste of Andrew Bird before his already-awaited return to Seattle this September.