Calexico/Iron & Wine - Tivoli, Utrecht, 27 April

A bit late on this, but it was a busy weekend and I don't really have too much to say... So Calexico and Iron & Wine have been touring around after they released a collaborative EP. I love Iron & Wine and I love the EP, plus I thought it'd be good to see Calexico who are a respected band that have been around awhile.

Iron & Wine came on first and played a few typically quiet acoustic songs. Unfortunately they were half drowned out by the talking coming from the bar area, despite the signs on the doors into the venue saying that the bands asked for your silence. Sam Beam, the lead singer, said between songs, "People told me Utrecht likes to talk, I guess they were right," but he said it so quietly I'm sure it went unheard by the talkers. No one in back shushed them up like it sometimes does happen in Amsterdam. They soon switched to a fuller band playing many instruments, so the music finally won over the talkers. On the last song or two, members of Calexico came out and their lead singer took over a bit on one song. The band was great, though the amount of songs I didn't recognize made me realize how much I only listen to their last album, Our Endless Numbered Days, and the EP, and how I haven't listened to their other stuff in ages. Very bad of me.

After a break, Calexico played their set, and I unfortunately can't say much about it because I don't know their stuff. And it's hard for me to pay attention when I don't know someone's songs. So they were good, they have like 6 members playing all sorts of instruments, but my attention did wane during their set. More of the crowd seemed to be there for Calexico since they were much more enthusiastic than during Iron & Wine's set. What we were waiting for though was for the two bands to play songs together from their EP. I almost thought it wasn't going to happen since there was something said about needing to stop by 11 for some dance night, and Calexico were still going strong after 10:30. But soon, as an encore really, all the members of both bands came out (a total of at least 12 people on stage) and they played the first song from the EP and then a song that neither O nor I recognized. It was good, but I was a bit disappointed, I really thought they would have played more from the EP. At the time though I was ready to head home, which was a half hour train ride back to Amsterdam, so we didn't stick around for long. O of course took photos, so he might be posting some soon, in the midst of photos from Italy and Queen's Day. He got told off though by a guy standing in front of him. The guy asked if O was almost done, and O said "yeah, almost." Humph. O was following his concert photography guide as per usual, and the main rule is "don't be annoying," but this guy got annoyed anyway. Maybe O was clicking too much in the guy's ear.