It’s hard for me to be even the slightest bit objective about a band like Blind Pilot. Maybe that comes from seeing them a lot over the years and being too familiar with their staggeringly great output. Maybe it’s because hearing them blend vocals and play banjo so well live makes it feel like being wrapped up in my warmest blanket. As far as experiences go, let’s face it: the vibe they create could hardly get any cozier. Anyone there last night could attest to that truth.
And maybe we all expected them to sound as incredible as they did Sunday night at The Commonwealth Room anyway. It’s as if they never suffered a single misstep or played one wrong note from start to finish. But after being absent from these parts for so long (and probably many others) and now in the thick of promoting their first new album in nearly a decade, Sunday night’s sold-out performance felt like a welcome-back celebration.
When the five-piece played “The Story I Heard” (and you know that one even if you think you don’t; it’s the song with the line about Jojo jumping a Utah train), it’s tough to imagine it getting a better reaction anywhere else thus far on their tour. A state mention goes far in these parts. Include us in a song, and we will remember it. We’ll even prove that by singing along with you so loud that we won’t need to borrow any of your microphones.
On a night that felt right in many ways, the band still managed to surprise, too. When Dave Jorgenson magically appeared in the back of the venue during “Things I Cannot Recall,” blowing dutifully on his trumpet at all the times he should have, it felt like a bit of magic got shuffled in along with the price of admission. Besides, horns need not be confined to the stage. That alone was an added reason for joy on a night allowing for plenty of that stuff.
Read our interview with Blind Pilot here.
