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BUILT TO SPILL IN CONCERT:
Alternative legends Built to Spill have helped ticket buyers rock out for more than two decades. From venues like Irving Plaza in NYC to The Mill & Mine in Knoxville, on stage singer/guitarist Doug Martsch leads the band through alt rock gems that move from densely layered six-string onslaughts to heartfelt ballads and back again. Brett Netson and Jim Roth add swirling layers of sound effects and melodic harmony lines to the guitar mayhem, while bassist Jason Albertini keeps tracks fluid with his grooving basslines. Drummer Steve Gere propels the band forward, ensuring that each song reaches its peak before he slowly dismantles the groove. With their 2015 album Untethered Moon still captivating listeners everywhere, the band is taking their one-of-a-kind balance of instrumental mastery and lyrical brilliance to fans across the country.
BACKGROUND SNAPSHOT:
After he left infamous Seattle-based band Treepeople in 1992, Doug Martsch (guitar/vocals) returned to his home of Boise, Idaho to start Built to Spill with Brett Netson (guitar/bass) and Ralf Youtz (drums). The three quickly got to work and released their 1993 debut album Ultimate Alternative Wavers. Following a successful run on the 1995 Lollapalooza Tour, the band decided to sign to Warner Bros. Records after the label guaranteed them complete artistic control over their output. Their major label debut Perfect from Now On was released in 1997 and represented a new commercial breakthrough for the band. Built to Spill’s lineup constantly evolved throughout the ‘00s amid extensive touring and such critically acclaimed albums as Ancient Melodies of the Future (2001), You in Reverse (2006), and There Is No Enemy (2009). Following a six-year hiatus, Martsch returned with a fresh Built to Spill lineup for the critically acclaimed 2015 album Untethered Moon.
This was the most legendary event. Built to Spill's talent is equal to nothing describable in the English language. Doug Martsch is an absolute genius. From the start of Traces to Untrustable and the encore of Goin' Against Your Mind, every second of the performance was absolute ecstasy.
This show was great. The Trocadero was the perfect venue. Intimate with great sound. The band did an excellent job, I would love to see them again.
Built To Spill is by far one of the best bands out there right now. I feel like they are not recognized enough yet. Once you get a taste of them you literally become obsessed on the spot. The song that got me into them was Goin' Against Your Mind on their album You In Reverse and they ended this concert with that very song. What blew my mind was the rediculous improv. that Doug would pull up there on the stage. I was 5 feet away from him and I was literally mesmerized by his performance. He would just sing and then step back, grab the whammy bar and jam out on his guitar. It is by far one of the coolest things to witness and he makes it look sooooo easy. The best thing about them is that every single one of the band members is a perfectionist at their instrument making it a truly epic concert. Built To Spill has changed my life and seeing them live in Philly was one of the best moments in my lifetime thus far. Enough said.
They dug deep and played stuff I never thought they'd play. Everything sounded great. They even played Distopian Dream Girl. Only negative was that they didn't play Car. I've never seen them play it and I've seen them multiple times. Oh well. I also got to meet Doug at the afterparty in the upstairs bar. All in all, a good time.
nice show, mediocre acoustics on the 2nd floor there. they're good.
built to spill was solid but i believe the setlist from the wednesday show would have been a bit more crowd pleasing.
They sleep walked through the set and the setlist was uninspiring. In BTS's defense the crowd was lame which surprised me for a sold out show. There was no energy exchange between the crowd and band. They also started the openers late which really chaps my hide on a school night. I have to work the next day guys, so I can make money to be able to afford shows. This one was a little steep by the way. Over $35 with fees and everything and the card minimum at Music Hall of Williamsburg is a ludicrous $25 +tip. Why don't you make concert going a little more annoying? At the end of the day I wish I had my 65 bucks back so I could take my woman to a nice dinner.
They nailed it. A great show from beginning to end. They played everyone's old favorites and a few songs from their latest album, maintaining the intensity throughout. Totally solid performance and exactly what a Built to Spill show should be.
it was a perfect set from beginning to end, mixed with new and old songs.
great concert and great place! The concert started really smoothly then went very energetic! Awesome!
Nothing can explain seeing a live show of Built to Spill. It's a must see! I love this band! Their sound and music is amazing!
BTS played a great selection of songs from all of their great albums and highlighted tracks off their new album. They were very business like and not chatty, but they made up for that with a great focus on playing the songs with as much intensity as they could muster, which was by far enough for the great venue of Music Hall of Williamsburg. I would definitely go again if they came back there.
so the concert kicked ass!!!!!! i had my doubts that they could replicate such intricate layers from the recording live, but damn they did it. it has been a long time since i have seen a band with a three-guitar attack. and they used it all the way. it really struck me how seeing a band live really gives you a feeling of the core of the band - who they are and how they communicate. this is definitely a band surrounding the core dude - doug martsch. he literally didn't say more than "thank you" throughout the 1.5 hour performance. introverted, sure, but man how feeling comes through in his singing. i didn't realize that he was bald with a beard! my first comment to my wife was that he looks like me! ;) she said he even sounded like me, but a higher pitch. very much my style, she said. even wore a similar t-shirt to what i would wear. i, thankfully, no longer have anything close to his beer belly. ;) they had a completely random song order - jumping from one album to another, one intensity to another, seemingly with no logic whatsoever. there was no flow from one song to the next. but i guess when a lot of the songs are 7 min+ it doesn't matter as much. i was really reminded of the two-track form of writing - either catchy jingle-type thing or 7-minute opus with all sorts of twists & turns and different tempos even. from allmusic.com i figure the lineup has been stable for at least 10 years so these guys were tight and that was a joy to experience. especially on these mini rock-operas. verging on prog territory, even, i would admit. so i actually thought back to the earlier e-mails while at the concert! i think that these guys really are somewhat in prog territory at times. the complicated rhythmic patterns and ambitious songs that soar. there were a few moments when i felt transported to his mind's concept of the song. with three guitars creating an idyllic wall of sound it's really like riding a (sound) wave. but so so admirable the control and dynamics of the band as a whole. they would rise up and come back down as a unit without even looking at one another - they wear the years well. there was not a single second of indulgent overblown feedback or yelling - it was what we were all looking for somehow - to feel release - but they weren't going there. admirable songcraft control. which i would contrast with the shins. the shins also had ridiculous control, but in a bad way. i didn't feel that they felt anything as they played. it was exactly the record. period. no emotion. these guys, you felt the sincerity coming through. so much intangible to explain with tangible words. writing about music is truly like dancing about architecture (credits to elvis costello, frank zappa or whoever first said that). allmusic said that built to spill connects the dots between dinosaur jr and the flaming lips' surreal wigouts. i would agree with that. but what adds a new texture is his voice. he has this soothing, aching thing that gives it a nice dichotomy and complexity. my wife said the music made her so comfortable. on the subject of the new album, however, i would say that the new songs didn't quite work! i was surprised. it was like they haven't worn them long enough to be as comfortable as the old running shoes. songs off of you in reverse (2006) really rocked in a fresh way, but this new album came off more cold and calculated, like pop songs out of place almost. whereas on listening i didn't get that sense, and allmusic seemed to go along with me on that. will need more time to ruminate.
Great show. My only thing is if its going to be that loud, you gotta make ear plugs available.
Show was great, especially the unforgettable close with conventional wisdom.... orgasmic jam session. GO SEE THEM
Lots of shows come and go, but when 'Built to Spill' plays Lee's Palace 2 nights in a row, that's a big deal. These guys probably have fans that never get to see them play live and we get them twice in two days at a great Toronto venue. I bet they play Big Dipper and Good Tune tonight. It's a shame I won't be there to enjoy it. MT.
It was clear they were perfectionists of jam band rock. They played a wide variety of songs over the span of their albums. Last song was a bit self indulgent...they spent a bit too much time exploring the set of chords... Overall great though!
Band played solid, errors were few and far between. The problem was that it all seemed too routine. The energy level just seemed to drag here and there. At times I really got into the music, its just that those times were too spread out. Little stage presence, if any. A quick hello during the long downtime between songs--other than that I'm not sure if the band wanted to be there at all. The venue was very smoky.
As a fan of their music (and being my first BTS show), I was a bit disappointed by the setlist and the overall lack of energy. Maybe it was the poor sound quality, but I felt no connection to the performance -- even when things picked up a bit at the end with Car and Carry the Zero -- like everyone, two longtime favorites. By then, though, it was too little too late. I thought the musicians may have felt the same as they went into a 10-minute exploratory odyssey to attempt to reclaim the evening. But even that fell fairly flat before the merciful end. I would like to see them again sometime when things are more inspired.
This was my first time seeing them live and they did not dissapoint. They played all their best songs. I loved it!!!
