Four white cubes stood in a row against the back wall of Omaha’s newly remodeled.
The sold out venue was packed with people waiting for Brooklyn city’s experimental rock group: Yeasayer.
Originally scheduled opener Sleigh Bells had canceled earlier in the day and while Omaha’s DJ Kobrakyle came to the rescue mixing tunes during the crowd’s wait, audience members shared their Yeasayer stories like they were veterans comparing battles:
“Yeasayer with MGMT at Slowdown? Yeah. I was there. I was one of the lucky ones.”
And if a person wasn’t sharing notes about if and when they saw Yeasayer last, they were busy wondering about those cubes.
Soon, the lights went down, and the giant cubes glowed with light. The front row of the stage was lined with synth stands that also glowed in a matching light. Yeasayer emerged and within moments, multiple members had grabbed mallets and the driving beats got the crowd-dancing.
As a group known for their fun dance numbers, a lot of their appeal rested in the two percussionists in the back row. The big arm movements of those two members were fun to watch and the heart of the band does rest in those big beats, but I was fascinated in watching the front row. I knew Yeasayer had multiple vocalists with different octave ranges that wove in and out of each other, but I never imagined some of the highest-pitched vocals would come out of the band’s tallest member. I have to give their guitarist/keyboardist props on his falsetto work.
My only disappointment with Yeasayer was the few brief moments that Yeasayer talked to the crowd. These moments consisted of awkward dialogue about how encores worked and about an unfortunate smell in the front row. This awkwardly brought the dancing to a jarring halt when the beats should have just carried from one song into the next.
But, I can’t be too disappointed. The set featured all the songs one could want at a Yeasayer show: “Rome,” “Ambling Alp,” “O.N.E.” and plenty more. It was a dance party in the pit that would continue even after Yeasayer’s performance with more djing from Kobrakyle.
Even without Sleigh Bells, this show was great time.
Set List:
The Children
Strange Reunions
Rome
Summer
I Remember
2080
Love Me Girl
Tightrope
O.N.E.
Mondegreen
Madder Red
Ambling Alp
//
2-song encore
