The Magnetic Fields

I saw The Magnetic Fields at the Town Hall in Seattle this evening. The show was so wonderful I could have died.

The set list included quite a few songs from their new album, Distortion, but their entire canon was pretty much covered. Some tracks from Stephin Merritt's other projects,the 6ths and The Gothic Archies, were also included.

The show was all acoustic with Merritt on the mandolin, John Woo on guitar, Sam Davol on cello, and Claudia Gonson on the piano. Shirley Simms sang the lead vocals on most songs from Distortion. I heard recently that all their shows have been acoustic on this tour because Merritt has significant hearing damage (I'm guessing the left ear - he would cover it every time there was applause).

Whether that's the reason or not, I actually preferred hearing acoustic versions at the live show. It provided a unique experience. The best acoustic versions turned out to be "Three-Way" and "Nun's Litany" from Distortion. It was a treat to see the band play the catchy, surfer melody, "Three-Way," with a cello and mandolin. Everyone chimed in, even the stone-silent Woo and Davol, when it came time to shout out the chorus. "Nun's Litany" was special just because it was sung by Merritt, whose voice reaches the level of baritone at its highest, instead of the expected female vocalist.

It was a great show, but I always find that seeing one of my favorite bands leads to mixed emotions. I've played Magnetic Fields albums again and again in many different settings. I feel a sense of ownership over Holiday. Each song is perfect and it can't be as special to other people as it is to me. In fact, probably no one else has ever heard the album the same way I have. These claims are preposterous, but it's a common feeling to have about favorite albums or bands. The Magnetic Fields are mine and they can do no wrong.

Then I go to see them and realize that the band members are just people. Middle-aged and pudgy people at that. Shockingly, they don't all live together in an alternate universe (Sam Davol does have an awesome apartment, though). The rational part of my brain already knew and understood this, but it still felt like a bit of a letdown.

The fact that my only problem with their live performance was that the band members were not some sort of mystical creatures proves that it was an amazing show.

Oh, and Stephin Merritt ran off the stage at one point to yell at a person filming. I bet that guy felt like an ass.