GRIZZLY BEAR
NOVEMBER 3, 2007
NEW YORK SOCIETY FOR ETHICAL CULTURE, NYC
WORDS: CAMERON COOK
PHOTOS: ABBEY BRADEN

The New York Society for Ethical Culture, a quiet, church-like venue nestled on the corner of 64th street and Central Park in Manhattan, seems to be the perfect spot for a band such as Grizzly Bear to perform their last show of the year. As the spectators file in, each one in various states of serene reverence, one thing is certain: this will be a night to remember.

A rumor spreads that Paul Simon is in the crowd, here to cheer on his new favorite band, and giddy music geek after giddy music geek scan the velvet pews for a glimpse of their idol. Then the band take the stage to thunderous applause, and it’s immediately apparent that this might be the most important show of their careers to date. This is their first-ever headlining show at a seated venue in NYC, and it’s crystal clear that this is the forum in which their music was meant to be played, and every song absolutely shines. A louder, groovier version of “Little Brother” is aired out, as well as an 8-minute, blissed-out “Colorado”. The thing about Grizzly Bear’s music is that it is totally malleable, and the album versions we’ve all come to love are only templates for the experimentation of the live experience.

“Sorry I’m not very talkative tonight,” apologizes lead singer Ed Droste (who, believe us, is usually chatting up a storm). “It’s the last date of a very long tour…” For such a special occasion, the Grizz pull out all the stops. Of course, once the band get around to playing “Knife”, the crowd loose it as much as they can in a church, and everyone quietly claps their hands and nods their heads respectably tot he music. “Service Bell” and ‘Sup favorite “Fix It” from the band’s debut Horn of Plenty are also performed, much to our pleasure, making for a well-rounded set of Grizzly staples.

The encore features a recent crowd favorite: Grizzly Bear’s cover of “He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)” by the Crystals, a ‘60s girl group anthem about, erm, spousal abuse. Grizzly Bear do a splendid job of making it their own, Ed’s plaintive voice carrying the line “If he didn’t care for me/I could have never made him mad”. The last song of the evening is, aptly, Dan doing a wonderful solo cover of Paul Simon’s “Graceland”, and as we leave the venue, we spot Mr. Simon himself being escorted backstage to meet the band. It would seem like once again, Grizzly Bear have been transported to the next level of indie rock stardom, and their fans couldn’t be more pleased.