Though not that expensive or outlandish of a set piece, Beach House‘s giant silver diamond piñata adornments had the people in attendance buzzing.
I was kind of hoping that at some point, someone would take a guitar to the piñatas and confetti and candy would fly out, but that sort of action is too violent for a dream-pop show, so the diamonds simply served as prom like decorations. Prom is an appropriate theme for the type of show that was going on in the Granada because both Beach House and opener Bachelorette produce tunes perfect for romance and a little light, sway dance.
Bachelorette is New Zealand’s Annabel Alpers. A charming vocalist that layers loops over loops that would make her a fun tour mate for someone like Andrew Bird. Vocally, she has a classic, vintage sound like the vocals in Camera Obscura, but she marries the vintage vocals with more electronic beats giving her a modernity. She was under the weather, so parts of her performance were a bit rough, but excusable amongst her light coughing. She blushed when the audience asked her to play more, but her suffering voice couldn’t oblige.
Beach House came out fully embracing the prom vibe, wearing 80s-style jackets with sleeves rolled up and asking the audience if they were ready for some romance. As the group breathily played their way for popular tunes off their newly released Teen Dream, their upcoming EP and older classics, the audience reciprocated with singing along and leaning closer to their loved ones. The band didn’t do much more than play through their songs, but they played them well and played what the audience wanted to hear. The songs sounded fuzzier than recording, but that might be a venue issue and not so much the band.
While, this night was candy/confetti free, it was a pleasant show and highly recommended for those looking for a nice show to take their dates.
