Fleet Foxes in Spaceland [LA; 06/30/08]

It began with the acappella greeting of “Sun Giant.

“What a life I lead in the summer
What a life I lead in the spring
What a life I lead in the winded breeze…”

Each pause was met with a collective hush you might hear in a church service. The potent harmony of Robin Pecknold and his bandmates defined the term, breathtaking.

Fleet Foxes are a young band. How they can sound as pure as they do live, is a modern wonder of some sort. Any song can be “crafted with precision” on records, and we’ve all learned to accept their “live versions.” But there was something different, something strangely perfect about that night. I was speechless then, and it looks like I still am. This is me giving up on the blog. Go see them.

It's worth noting how gracious and surprised they were at all the love, and their mountain man gear in the summer heat of Silver Lake, and the 2nd encore, and another Jason Lee sighting.

And now some videos I took when I wasn't too busy pulling my jaw off the floor:


Blue Ridge Mountains


Pecknold cleared the stage for a cover of Judee Sill's "Crayon Angels" before playing "Oliver James"
Here's what that video might look like if there were daylight, and he was in the back of a black cab.

Seriously go:
07-05 Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn
07-06 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
07-07 Washington, DC - Black Cat
07-08 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
07-09 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
07-12-13 Redmond, WA - Marymoor Park (SP20)
07-14 Cambridge, MA - Middle East Upstairs
07-15 Montreal, Quebec - Le Divan Orange
07-18 Madison, WI - Terrace
07-19 Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Music Festival $
07-20 Minneapolis, MN - 7th St. Entry
07-22 Denver, CO - Hi-Dive
07-23 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
07-25 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
08-07 Oslo, Norway - Oya Festival
08-09 Gothenburg, Sweden - Way Out West Festival
09-05-07 Isle of Wight, England - Bestival

Happy 4th!