Of Monsters and Men Sell Out Terminal 5
One of the best things about being on the east coast is the proximity to other cities. When my family decided that they wanted to meet up in New York for Thanksgiving this year, I was more than happy to join in on the fun. With different trains and planes, I was scheduled to get into the city six or seven hours before everyone else. Instead of sitting in the hotel room, I planned to meet up with a family friend and see the
second night of the Of Monsters and Men show at Terminal 5. After hearing great things about the venue and knowing of the band, it seemed like the perfect day before Thanksgiving treat.
The show started off with the raspy voiced Elle King who reminded me a bit of a female version of Austin Gibbs. Her set spanned a classic 30 minutes and kept the arriving crowd happy. The upbeat music filled the three story venue and Elle’s hometown crowd loved every minute. Following her set was slightly softer Soely who, like Of Monsters and Men, is from Iceland. With a bit more relaxed sound, she along with her band provided a nice complement to Elle’s set. With a sweet accent and pleasant onstage demeanor, Soely and her band entertained the crowd for their 30 minutes of stage time.
Around 9:30pm, the sold out crowd had packed into the venue and the intro music played as Of Monsters and Men took to the stage. Opening with crowd favorite “Dirty Paws,” the whole audience was immediately stripped of all their worries and fears and was able to just enjoy the upcoming 90 minutes of music. The set covered most of the tracks off the latest album that brought the band to the ears of many in the US. About midway through, they played a cover of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Skeletons.” The 11 songs kept the crowd clapping and singing along as if each member was in their room with the CD blasting. Following a set filled with energy and a few slower songs, the band left the stage briefly only to return for three last songs. During a week when most reflect on what they can be thankful for, the pure talent and joy that radiated from the faces of the six band members was just one more thing to add to the list.
