12/11 Surprise Show — An Evening with Beach House
Sweaty palms and credit card in hand, the clock is ticking. 9:58AM. 9:59AM. 10:00AM. REFRESH. Is it glitching? REFRESH.
“This performance has sold out.”
Well, that was fast. Anyone who has attempted to purchase tickets to any slightly in-demand live performance in the last 2 years can certainly attest to this situation and relate in their disappointment. This was also the case for Beach House’s recent stop in Philadelphia on December 11th…
The band left their year-long hiding to bestow some of their biggest fans with a small, hazy and ceremonial duo performance at Fishtown’s Johnny Brenda’s tavern. In an attempt to keep scalpers at bay, the band instituted a strict ticket buying policy to ensure that only true fans could experience this show. Stipulations included: tickets only being sold the morning of, a two ticket maximum, will-call only tickets, and that the credit card used to purchase would require an ID with the same name. These sorts of restrictions aren’t entirely new. They’re ones that will become more popular as the shifts of concert culture continue to adjust to a world desperate for internet authority.
Last Friday 12/8 the band announced a small and intimate performance focusing on their older and simpler material and less on their bigger, brighter, and louder selections. A show like this is a hardcore fan’s dream come true. And also mine — so I knew that this would be an instantaneous sellout and a sweaty, anxiety-inducing attempt.
While I did not get tickets the morning of, I kept refreshing the website periodically in the crazy hopes that MAYBE I would still somehow get a ticket. Three hours before showtime, I secured a single ticket and leaped out of bed in excitement. I was stupefied. Beach House is my favorite band so missing out on this once in a lifetime experience with them would be a huge drag. Yet, I emerged victorious in the great ticket war of 2023 and live to tell this tale.
Upon arrival we were told that no cell phones are allowed and that all lights would be off during the last set. Oh boy, we were in for a treat. The band kept under wraps their secret guest until shortly before show time on an Instagram story post. We were also going to be sharing the evening with Philadelphia’s favorite surprise guest — Kurt Vile!
After lining up in the cold, fans slowly, yet excitedly climbed up the steep, narrow staircase into the music hall. We were greeted by a bar and a colorful merch table with t-shirts, vinyl, and other treats from both performers. Soon, we were taken away by the pretty pickings and honest musings from Vile and his acoustic guitar. I’ve gotten Vile-ated (this is what I call it when Kurt Vile is a surprise guest in Philly because he makes a lot of appearances around here). Twice since relocating! The first time happened to be at Pavement’s show at the Met last October. It was great to see him in his full, solo, acoustic glory to a crowd of wide eyed and lucky fans. His performance set the stage for a relatively respectful and attentive group to bask in all of Beach House’s glory.
Beach House is an elusive and eclectic dream pop band from Baltimore, Maryland composed of keyboardist and vocalist Victoria Legrand and guitar player Alex Scally, minus the ex-Tennis member, James Barone, the band’s official drummer as of 2022. The band left live drums behind in exchange for their memorable drum machine to bring the emotion of their older material back to life for the first time in many years.
This performance was unlike any other time I have been lucky enough to experience them; I have seen their live shows on support tours for Bloom, Depression Cherry, and Once, Twice Melody. While the band is known for their bright, visually encapsulating and ethereal live shows. This particular show was somewhat reminiscent of their installation show tour in 2016, but unlike any of their other recent major US tours.
As the clock ticked past 9:25PM, all of the lights went down and the 250 person capacity room slowly filled with fog, setting the stage for dream pop’s finest to begin their ritual. The duo cherry picked songs from almost their entire catalog to create a list of selection that really zoned in on their earlier musical compositions and methods. This allowed for the band to perform some deep cuts as well as classic fan favorites.
Legrand’s moody contralto vocals and bright keyboards morphing into Scally’s droning, dreamy guitars brought emotion and connection to the room unlike any other performance of theirs before. The crowd’s silence and rapt attention to the band was an experience that is rare for a concert in today’s world, but was certainly welcomed by some of the dream-popper’s biggest admirers.
Highlights of the evening included inaugural performances of “The Bells” and “Many Nights” from their 8th studio album Once, Twice Melody, as well as “Devil’s Pool” from the Become EP. The band also unearthed some classics from their self-titled debut album for the first time in over 11+ years, “Childhood” and “Auburn and Ivory.” Other performances include selections from Devotion, Thank Your Lucky Stars, Depression Cherry, and 7. Beach House’s ability to hone in on their simplistic roots and long forgotten songs is a die hard fan’s dream come true.
The duo intends on taking this cozy and captivating show on the road in the near future after completing some test runs in Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and Ridgewood in the next 2 days. Scally mentioned that they were still “working out the kinks’’ on songs that have yet to be performed live.
This was truly a once in a lifetime performance from a modern powerhouse of the genre and will be remembered for years to come. Best of luck to anyone attempting to get tickets to their upcoming performances of this intimate nature! Who knows what tricks they will have up their mysterious sleeves in their next performances?
