concert review

MAXWELL’S, HOBOKEN, NJ — OCTOBER 22, 2008 – Over the past month I have fallen in love with The Dears new album, Missiles. I was very excited to see them at CMJ. Unfortunately, CMJ was a bust and I was unable to get a badge. Luckily for me, the Dears were playing a show the day before their CMJ gig at Maxwell’s in Hoboken, New Jersey. Let me start off by saying that I HATE venturing into New Jersey. Sure, I was born there. Sure, I lived there for a few years. Sure, my mother’s entire side of the family calls New Jersey home. That still doesn’t take away from the fact that Newark stinks like rotten cheese or the fact that since I moved to Jackson Heights, Queens, it takes me about an hour an half to make it to the Garden State. But I really like Missiles so on Wednesday the 22nd, I walked the 10 blocks to the PATH station on 6th Avenue and 9th Street (I was already in downtown Manhattan) and rode the train to my birthplace.

Truth be told, Hoboken is actually quite a cute neighborhood. Cuter than the rest of Jersey City anyways. Fortunately for me and for the rest of the people at Maxwell’s that night, the trek was well worth it.

The Dears live show has been described as being equivalent to seeing the face of God. I’m not sure I agree with that. For one, I’m not sure that I believe in a God and if there were a God, I doubt he’d be as wonderful. There are no words to describe how The Dears play their shows. Wednesday night was near perfect. It’s astounding to see a band so passionate about their music that they are brought to tears while playing it. Yes. lead singer Murray Lightburn cried at one point. It was only a couple of tears but tears nonetheless. I could be cynical and say it was all an “act,” but something tells me it’s not. The Dears, after all, have been through a lot since 2006. They had a serious disbanding from which only Natalia Yanchak and Murray remained. Missiles is therefore quite an achievement.

I’m pleased to say that their new jewel transfers from recording to performance quite well. Most of the setlist revolved around the new tracks; only three songs from previous albums were played. And while it was obvious that most people at the venue had not heard the new songs – Missiles just dropped that night – none of them seemed disappointed. If anything they were all the more impressed. The members of the Dears played their new music fiercely, never once missing a step, and at the same time never once sounding exactly like the album. A man in the back kept yelling “Don’t leave!” “Never go!” “Please stay!,” and while he was obviously drunk and sounded a bit ridiculous, I couldn’t help but thinking the same thing.

Please stay, you wonderful Canadians, at least for a while.

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