don't you let me go, let me go tonight

Interestingly enough, I followed up the Fucked Up concert with Lykke Li, a swedish, indie pop singer. Not necessarily a dichotomy in theory, but it was still a huge frakking difference.

Trekking out to the Sixth and I Synagogue, I was lost for about 5 minutes in finding the venue, and hence missed the openers. But once I arrived, I was pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere of the place. Old creaky wooden stairs that felt like they were going to snap like twigs under me, that historical near-pungent odor that was tolerable, the view of church pews and a room that just opened up above. Not since DAR Constitution Hall have I been enamored with a building.

Choosing a back pew to take residence, I looked around and could see dozens of faces staring back at me, this place was that intimate. Waiting for about ten minutes, slowly becoming adjusted with the crowd being right there, the lights finally dimmed and the ethereal beginning of "Melodies & Desires" began to flood the place, generating an aura of serenity. Li Lykke then entered onto the stage and stood in front of the mic and began whispering "follow these instructions, do as I do."

And the crowd basically did that and more the entire night. It is becoming commonplace and refreshing to see the audience become actively involved at these shows. With little room to spare, the crowd was able to start a dance party right up next to the stage, and Li was impressively happy with the results. Singing, dancing, banging a cymbal with a drumstick, Li was ecstatic. The crowd really responded to "Dance, Dance, Dance," "I'm Good, I'm Gone," and Li's voice was simply gorgeous on "My Love." With its lush instrumentation just as rich as it is on the album, the song was a true gem. And the crowd really contributed to "Little Bit," practically finishing the last minute of the song as Li was having some technical difficulties. Although she did provide some vocal criticism saying they mixed the chorus line with another song, I was still impressed with the passion of this crowd.

This passion was returned with a stirring rendition of "Tonight." With its soundscape of piano, drums, cymbals and her voice, it was amazing. After that song, I had to walk out because it just felt like the right time to leave. I could not think of a better way to welcome the month of February.