When most band’s go on a record release tour, they often perform their entire new album. Sometimes it’s song-after-song, and other times it’s mixed in with a few classics. This past Friday at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Spoon treated fans to a performance especially tailored for longtime fans. The iconic indie band had just released their new record, They Want My Soul on Aug. 5 via Loma Vista and to celebrate their Los Angeles performance, Spoon booked a show at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery where both the living and dead would be treated to one of their best shows yet. Instead of playing their entire new record straight off the bat, Spoon elated fans by throwing in a heavy mix of their past favorites. While Spoon’s new LP, They Want My Soul is a brilliant release that has been touted as “a refreshing return to form;” I was absolutely glowing to have attended a Spoon concert where the band had played just about every single one of my favorite songs.
Setting the mood with new songs, “Knock Knock Knock” and “Rent I Pay,” Spoon took a healthy dive into their past catalog and blessed fans with the familiars sounds of “Small Stakes” (Kill the Moonlight, 2002) “Who Makes Your Money” (Transference, 2010), and “Rhythm & Soul” (Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, 2007). I was pleasantly surprised by the classics and was sure the band would quickly revert to playing the remainder of their new album. Instead, Spoon stunned us with a most beautiful and abstract performance of “The Ghost of You Lingers”. With dark blue hues and strobes, frontman Brit Daniel had us all in a catatonic daze as we watched him move and at one point drop to his knees. While we simmered in awe, Spoon promptly woke us up again as soon as the playful “doo doo doo doo doos” of their hit and hook-heavy single, “Do You” came into play. Fans were definitely diggin’ the vibes as plumes of marijuana smoke and sideways sways began to infest the crowd.
The oldies did not stop there. Spoon went on to perform fan favorites such as “I Turn My Camera On,” The Underdog,” “You Got Your Cherry Bomb” and many more (scroll down for the setlist). Additionally, Spoon played all but three songs from They Want My Soul. Their performance at the Hollywood Forever was definitely tailored for fans who have loved the band since their early days. With a 21-song-set that included a four-song encore, the crowd was begging for more as Spoon left the stage. Daniel regretfully informed the crowd that they had a second encore planned but had unfortunately run out of time. Had the band been allowed to perform their full set, the final encore would have included “Trouble Comes Running”, “Everything Hits at Once”, “The Way We Get By”, “My Mathematical Mind”, “Jonathon Fisk”, and “Metal Detektor”.
This show just might have been Spoon’s best performance ever. It’s a shame that the surrounding neighborhoods are such sticklers on a Friday night that a noise ordinance has to be enforced. We didn’t realize how fussy these residents were until someone left a very lame comment on our show announcement for Spoon at Hollywood Forever. We posted the announcement in early May. So that means someone with a lot of time on their hands did some internet searching for “Spoon at Hollywood Forever” just so they could express their dismay for this concert. To all you stuffy residents: pull that stick out our your ass. You should be so lucky to hear such a coveted live performance from Spoon via the comfort of your home.
Spoon’s show started right on time at 9 p.m. and ended sharply at 10:30 p.m. We didn’t get much of that charming and funny Spoon stage banter, but we were beyond ecstatic with the selection of songs performed.
Review: Sandra Burciaga
Photography: Dominoe Farris-Gilbert
Check out the photos below of Spoon at Hollywood Forever Cemetery!
SETLIST:
Knock Knock Knock
Rent I Pay
Don’t You Evah
Small Stakes
Who Makes Your Money
Rhthm & Soul
The Ghost of You Lingers
Do You
I Turn My Camera On
The Beast and Dragon, Adored
Outlier
Anything You Want
Don’t Make Me a Target
I Summon You
You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb
Rainy Taxi
Black Like Me
Encore:
Inside Out
I Just Don’t Understand
(with Dale Watson)
The Underdog
Got Nuffin
Note: ‘Trouble Comes Running’, ‘Everything Hits at Once’, ‘The Way We Get By’, ‘My Mathematical Mind’, ‘Jonathon Fisk’, and ‘Metal Detektor’ were all on the setlist as part of a 2nd encore, but they ran out of time
Want more photos? Check out the photo gallery below!
