DeVotchKa frontman Nick Urata seranades the sold-out crowd at Webster Hall in New York. Photo by Jenny Bergen.
This is the first in an occasional series of out-of-town reviews of Colorado musicians.
By Jenny Bergen
I’ve never left a show without breaking even the tiniest of sweat — sometimes leaving drenched if I happened to be in the front. But last week’s show at in New York City came and went without a drop of perspiration. Don’t get me wrong. The show was fantastic, but there was definitely a marked difference between a New York DeVotchKa show and a Denver DeVotchKa show.
The sold-out concert had prime dancing potential, but as I mentioned, I left sweat-free. There was no dancing. Actually, there were two drunken, head-over-heels, lovebirds who danced intimately all night. But besides those two brave souls, the extent of dancing was a little head-bobbing, hand clapping and a dash of jumping when Jeanie Schroder bounced around with her sousaphone.
I’ve seen DeVotchKa four times in Denver and Boulder, so I had somewhat of an expectation of crowd etiquette. Granted, it was a sold-out show, and there wasn’t a lot room to dance, but it could have happened. And yes, I could have been the one to start dancing in the packed New York hall, but I was already getting dirty looks for my toned-down version of the Happy DevotchKa Dance.
The sound at Webster Hall was the best I’ve ever heard DeVotchKa. Tom Hagerman’s violin and accordion were never drowned out, and the instruments echoed beautifully throughout the venue. The string and horn section was lush and vibrant, adding the perfect Mariachi touch. Nick Urata’s voice sounded richer than I’ve ever heard it sound before.
So, yeah, I guess that makes up for no dancing.
They played a handful of songs from their latest album, “Mad and Faithful Telling,” including “Basso Profundo,” “The Clockwise Witness” and “Transliterator.” DeVotchKa also rocked classics like “Enemy Guns” and “We’re Leaving.”
Still, some things never change. I felt like a little kid when I entered the venue and saw fabric hanging down from the rafters. “That’s a good sign,” I told my Denver friend who had yet to see the band live. And, lo and behold, as usual, the crowd went wild during the aerial dancing.
Also, just like in Denver, DeVotchKa attracted quite the crowd of lovers. DeVotchKa’s tender, heart-on-sleeve ballads seem to be the sirens call to the couples in the world. Like zombies to a human, or a moth to a light bulb, couples find DeVotchKa shows and then, with head tilted slightly and eyes in full puppy-dog mode, they hold each other and sway.
Yes, it’s a phenomena unlike any other, and one that speedily sold out the last Valentine’s Day show at the Fox. Couples are everywhere, and if you play anything with an accordion and sing songs about losing the love of your life, the couples will come out en masse.
My concert buddies consisted of two friends from Denver — one of whom had seen DeVotchKa multiple times, and the other who had never seen the band — and two friends from New York who had never even heard of the band. Everyone gave overwhelmingly positive reviews. My newly turned DeVotchKa fans immediately bought “Mad and Faithful Telling,” but both my Denver friend (who’d already seen DeVotchKa) and I agreed that there was just something missing in the vibe.
Maybe it was the pride you feel when you see a great local band in your hometown. Or maybe it was being surrounded by the usual gang you see at Denver shows — but knowing you weren’t standing in your lovely, square-shaped state of Colorado.
But, c’est la vie. The show ended fittingly with “How it Ends,” a song made ever so popular by the movie “Little Miss Sunshine,” and both New Yorkers and Denverites left happy.
Jenny Bergen is a writer living in New York City and an alumni of Boulder’s Radio 1190.
