Watching Jeff Mangum sing is entertainment enough. His unblinking eyes remain focused — even a bit crazed — in a fit of stern concentration. Sitting square at center stage, he snaps the words from his mouth in a chewing motion, biting the air in and spitting the words out. If you turned the volume to zero and simply watched his maw machinate, the price of admission would be well worth it.
But this 40 Watt show was no silent movie, even if what happened on this night wasn’t seen in these parts for quite some time. Mangum, the eloquent band leader of Neutral Milk Hotel and main creator of one of the finest albums to come out of Athens (or anywhere, for that matter), brought his eternal lyrics, eclectic voice, sense of good humor and snippets of horns, drums and accordions for a show too good to be believed. The capacity crowd, many of who had a personal tie with Mangum during his days in Athens, stood rapt as he wended through song after song in sterling fashion. When people weren’t singing they were cheering, stopping only briefly to hold their breath at the magic unfolding before them.
He opened the night with “Oh Comely,” an eight-minute song which let him settle into the night and find rapport with the crowd, which up until his appearance was a nattering nuisance of Chatty Cathies (I felt for Andrew, Linda and Scott during their opening set). With its simmering build, rising crescendos and moments of quietude, “Oh Comely” depicts it name. Stunning in the live setting.
“This next song is about Holland,” he noted before ripping into “Holland, 1945,” much to the delight of the crowd. “Engine” followed as did “Little Birds,” a song “I wrote over there on Grady Avenue” he said pointing out toward the 40 Watt door. No doubt some in the crowd were witness to that process, nodding knowingly.
“Ghost” came next, a sturdy tune anchored near the end of In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. It was this song where those long-time friends of his chipped in, as Scott Spillane (The Gerbils) and Laura Carter (Elf Power, Gerbils) entered stage left and added the horns that light the song about a haunted house.
The added element of horns took a high-powered show into another realm, nudging epic-ness (epic is a world I never, ever use, while epic-ness is not actually a word. I’m in unfamiliar territory here).
“King of Carrot Flowers Pt. 1” and “Pts. 2 & 3” followed to near pandemonium. Anyone walking within 500 yards of the Watt would clearly hear “I love you Jesus Christ” erupting from the hall, leaving those who knew nothing of Mangum wondering if a midnight mass was in session (in a way, it was). “Naomi” and “April 8th” gave way to “Two-Headed Boy, Part Two,” one of the finest, sharpest songs ever written. This is one of my concert bucket list songs — those I treasure only hoping to one day see them performed live — and I say with not much prodding it might be the best live song I’ve ever seen. And I’ve been to a show or 2,000.
“I might not be able to hear myself, but I don’t give a fuck,” Mangum laughed while kicking off “Two-Headed Boy” (he was right, the audience participation was thunderous). “The Fool” ended the set, complete with an oompa-band of Elephant 6 stars.
“Song Against Sex” led off the encore (the din between Mangum leaving the stage and returning never strayed beyond a clamorous roar), with “Gardenhead/Leave Me Alone” and “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” (of course) finishing the night. “Aeroplane” is perhaps his best well-known song, but here it was almost anti-climactic — that’s how good this night was.
I go to plenty of shows, sometimes with high expectations the band fails to meet, and I came to this show expecting a celebration on stage. I got it, and more. It’s one of the finest musical moments I’ve had the pleasure to see.
