Band of Horses, Restorations - September 24, 2016 - The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PA

Band of Horses played a sold out show at The Fillmore with hometown opening act Restorations. It was my second time seeing Band of Horses as they opened for Neil Young in 2015, but the first time seeing them as the headline act. It is always great to see a band in their own element doing things their own way. Headlining allows the group to get creative with a longer setlist, props, and stage act as well as interact with the crowd who are there to see them play. As an opening act, it is hard to talk to the crowd and interact with them as people are settling in and not paying much attention. Most of the time the audience is there to see the headliner not the opening act. I believe that you have not truly seen a band until you see them at their own show.

Restorations came to the stage and were intriguing. Their sound is progressive with a wide range of rock sub-genres that include post-hardcore, indie, Americana, folk-rock and punk. It is an odd mix but they find a way to make it work and sound great. The local band was humble as they commented on how they used to practice across the street from The Fillmore and were grateful to finally have the opportunity to play in front of their home crowd. It was a big moment for the band and they left a good impression. It will be interesting to follow the band to see what's next for their promising future.

Frontman Ben Bridwell greeted the cheering crowd with a southern welcome, "Hey Philly, how y'all doing?" as Band of Horses went right into "Dull Times/The Moon," the first song on the new album Why Are You OK. From there they alternated between slow songs and up tempo songs for the majority of the show with guitarist/keyboardist Ryan Monroe switching back and forth between instruments. "The Great Salt Lake," a great song to hear live, was followed by their hit single and most successful song to date "Casual Party." The crowd loved it but the song that got the biggest reaction of the night was "In a Drawer," a song off the new album with backup vocals by Dinosaur Jr's J. Mascis. Although J. Mascis didn't show up to sing it live (I wish!), it sounded just as good with the crowd singing along. I was surprised that they didn't play "Compliments" and "Cigarettes, Wedding Bands," both of which I wanted them to play. Many couples got behind the beautiful slow song, "Older," sung by Monroe and as expected, the set concluded with "The Funeral." The encore consisted of "Is There a Ghost," in which a fan in the front row held up a giant ghost cutout and "The General Specific," where the band brought the roadies out to play with the band.

Band of Horses is an extremely underrated band that deserves more attention. Smart lyrics, catchy harmonies and a collection of songs that you can get behind. There is something for everyone from the softer, laid back songs to the energetic, rocking songs. I liked a handful of songs before seeing them live. I grew to like them even more after seeing them open for Neil Young and now after watching them put on their own show, I am a true fan. I found the true genius of the songs and the talent of the performance. They are fantastic musicians who will continue to do great things.

Before the show, we bought a really cool Band of Horses poster. However, during the encore the poster rolled off the upstairs balcony where we were sitting into the pit below. Panicking, my dad ran downstairs to find it with no luck. Not only did we lose the poster, but also a fitness tracking band that was tied around the poster. After the show, we made another attempt to find the poster and fitness tracker before leaving. We found a security guard who had the fitness tracker but no poster. A couple approached him to return the tracker but must have kept the poster. Moral of the story: If you are buying merchandise, always bring something to carry it in and if you find something that isn't yours, do the right thing and return it.

Setlist:

Restorations:

Band of Horses:

1.  Dull Times/The Moon
2.  The Great Salt Lake
3.  Casual Party
4.  Island on the Coast
5.  Solemn Oath
6.  Laredo
7.  St. Augustine
8.  No One's Gonna Love You
9.  Our Swords
10. Throw My Mess  

11. Older

12. In a Drawer

13. The First Song

14. Hag

15. NW Apt.

16. The Funeral

Encore:

17. Is There a Ghost
18. Weed Party
19. The General Specific