2017/2018 Tour

[kewabe]

Anyone else plan on attending one (or more) of the shows?  I'm definitely going to see them in Philadelphia.
Found a couple of videos online from two gigs in Germany:

at Kampnegal Hamberg
Tinseltown Swimming in Blood
Rome

at Festaal Kreuzberg in Berlin 
Cover From The Sun/Stay Lost/Notorious Lightning

Really excited to they're playing Notorious Lightning with this group! I haven't found a live version other than from the era of playing Frog Eyes!

Per Merge's Website:

Destroyer 2017/2018 Tour

11/19/17 Dusseldorf Germany New Fall Festival            
11/21/17 Zurich Switzerland Rote Fabrik
11/22/17 Montpellier France Le Rockstore 
11/23/17 San Sebastian Spain Teatro Victoria Eugenia 
11/24/17 Lisbon Portugal Mexefest 
11/25/17 Madrid Spain Teatro Barcelo 
11/26/17 Valencia Spain La Rambleta 
11/27/17 Barcelona Spain Sala Bikini 
11/29/17 Lille France L'Aeronef
11/30/17 Brighton United Kingdom Patterns 
12/01/17 Leeds United Kingdom Brudenell Social Club 
12/03/17 Dublin Ireland Button Factory 
12/05/17 Glasgow United Kingdom CCA (270) 
12/05/17 Newcastle United Kingdom The Cluny 
12/07/17 London United Kingdom Scala 
12/08/17 Paris France Petit Bain 
12/09/17 Amsterdam Netherlands Paradiso Noord 
12/10/17 Brussels Belgium Botanique Brussels 
01/10/18 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom 
01/11/18 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore 
01/12/18 Los Angeles, CA The Regent Theater 
01/13/18 Phoenix, AZ The Crescent Ballroom 
01/15/18 Austin, TX The Mohawk 
01/16/18 Dallas, TX Club Dada 
01/17/18 Kansas City, MO Record Bar 
01/18/18 Minneapolis, MN First Line Music Cafe 
01/20/18 Chicago, IL Metro 
01/21/18 Detroit, MI Magic Stick 
01/22/18 Toronto, ON Canada Phoenix Concert Theatre 
01/23/18 Montreal, QC Canada Theatre Fairmont 
01/24/18 Cambridge, MA The Sinclair 
01/26/18 Philadelphia, PA Underground Arts
01/27/18 Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn Steel 
01/28/18 Washington D.C. Black Cat 
01/29/18 Asheville, NC Grey Eagle 
01/30/18 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle 
01/31/18 Atlanta, GA Terminal West 
02/01/18 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge 
02/02/18 St. Louis, MO The Blueberry Hill 
02/03/18 Omaha, NE The Waiting Room 
02/05/18 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater 
02/06/18 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
02/07/18 Boise, ID Olympic Venue 
02/08/18 Seattle, WA Neptune Theatre 
02/09/18 Vancouver, BC Canada The Commodore Ballroom 

[destruction]

Heading to Portland on Wednesday, ready to hear Dan sing me a winter song (come on come on come on come on).

Also just got confirmation of a KEXP In-Studio on 2/8, day of the Seattle show. It will stream and is open to the public this time - I'll be there!
kexp.org/events/instudio

ken has developed for me in a major way.  "Catwalk" is exactly what I dreamed a produced version would be.  "Saw You At The Hospital" is a top tier towering masterpiece.  
With a gun to my head, Your Blues is my favorite album - that was the first one I got right away, went to the show, etc. - and I draw a connection between that and ken which is unique, hard to quantify.  Has kind of a lonesome, focused, "Prince Alone In The Studio" vibe.

[mike]

Thanks for the update! I'll admit that this is the first album since I've begun anticipating releases (Trouble In Dreams was first) that underwhelmed me at first. It's grown a little, and I hope it continues to, but yeah, first time I've been pretty mixed about a Destroyer album, but I'm patient. In any case going to do my best to catch a show at the end of the month.

[destruction]

Go see this tour.

The show in Portland last night was magnificent. The crowd was cool (so often an obnoxious audience affects the performance), the band was on fire (“tight bus loose”, as Jimmy Page said), and Dan was maybe the best I’ve ever seen him.

Everyone was at peak. I really noticed the dual guitars took a much more lively and central role, in the absence of Joseph Shabason (I guess he’s sitting this leg out). Sections that would have been smooth/erotic sax became funky/jangly grooves. Josh Wells is unbelievable.

Dan was passionate and engaged, obviously into it and having a good time. Love it! He looked good and was in great voice.

The new songs sounded amazing given this treatment.

My only complaint - to the extent that it is a complaint - is that they could have gone (way) longer, and rocked a few older songs. “What Road” in Seattle, please?

Mike - I hear you. Ken was a serious grower for me, became totally infectious, but it took a lot of listens for the boingy 80s production to not seem intrusive (having known most of these as acoustic songs). I’ve never been so mad at a Destroyer song as at the axe solo at the end of the album! Honestly, that still bugs me.

Portland, Wonder Ballroom 1/10/2018:
Sky's Grey
In the Morning
Tinseltown Swimming in Blood
Kaputt
Times Square
Saw You at the Hospital
A Light Travels Down the Catwalk
Rome
Chinatown
European Oils
Poor in Love
Cover From the Sun
Stay Lost
Rubies

Savage Night at the Opera
Dream Lover

[mike]

Okay you've got me convinced! Will hope to do NYC and DC the 27th and 28th.

[kewabe]

Saw them Friday at Underground Arts in Philadelphia. Enjoyed the show very much. They opened with Sky's Grey, which really reinvigorated the song for me. Also, the live version of Saw You At The Hospital was fantastic (It's also probably my favorite song off of ken). Looter's Follies was another highlight for me, Dan in particular seemed to enjoy himself during that song. I will agree with Destruction, they could have played some older songs. Most of the set was from Kaputt/Poison Season/ken. I did feel like the crowd was sort of a bit static, but I was certainly jamming out.

Here's the setlist:

Sky's Grey
In The Morning
Tinseltown Swimming In Blood
Kaputt
Times Square
Saw You At The Hospital
A Light Travels Down The Catwalk
Rome
Suicide Demo For Kara Walker (With the 3 min horn intro)
Looter's Follies
Chinatown
Cover From The Sun
Stay Lost
Bay Of Pigs

Encore:

Poor In Love
Dream Lover

I did record the whole set on my phone, if anyone wants it just let me know.

[mike]

I went to the shows last Saturday (Brooklyn) and Sunday (DC). They were both great! Hadn't seen Destroyer play in almost ten years so this was a long time coming. It looks to me like the setlists on setlist.fm are correct too - I'll double check at some point.

Thought NYC was a better show and while I definitely enjoyed the ken tracks (and will continue to enjoy them more after seeing them live) the classics were the highlights. Songs like "Saw You At The Hospital" and "Tinseltown" really do come alive well but with"Bay Of Pigs" closing the set and the encore of "Poor In Love" and "Rubies" those were just epic. It was pretty great with the crowd singing along, especially to "European Oils" and "the fucking maniac" line.

The flute/tenor sax/accompanier played in Brooklyn but wasn't at the DC show. Was he at other shows?

Dan didn't talk much at all but it was funny that both nights after "A Light Travels Down The Catwalk" he proceeded to tell us that "that one's called A Light..." while he didn't have much to say besides that. I also got a kick out of him crouching down and using the mic stand as a cane of sorts. In Brooklyn the stage was real high and removed from the audience so there was some separation during his crouching but in DC that stage is so low and the crowd so close, would've been interesting to be in the front looking him in the eyes.

[destruction]

That's funny re: the "Catwalk" banter - don't recall if he did the same in Portland, but I remember him pointing out "that song's about Satan" at solo shows (without telling us the name of the song). Maybe it has to do with all those years of playing it without giving us an official title, and it ending up with a pretty long title. Like he always makes a point of saying "that song is called 'To The Heart Of The Sun On The Back Of The Vulture I'll Go'".

No sax at Portland, not expecting him at Seattle/Vancouver. I think he's the only one based in Toronto instead of BC, stuck to that area this tour?

I'd love to see "Bay Of Pigs" and "Kara Walker".

Just listened to the Morning Becomes Eclectic version of "Saw You At The Hospital" - WOW is it beautiful (https://www.kcrw.com/music/shows/morning-becomes-eclectic/destroyer). Looking forward to going to the KEXP session on Thursday, that will be a whole new experience.

[kewabe]

Sax/flute player was in Philly. Thanks for the link to the Morning Becomes Electric - I hadn't come across that, but it sounds great, and damn Saw You At The Hospital is great here. That's definitely my favorite song off the album, at least in terms of album versions. I really do love the acoustic/solo version of Sky's Grey.

[jesusnarciso]

No sax in Austin either, but the set was great. Like Mike said, the ken songs are much more enjoyable now after hearing them live.

My favorite was Rome. Found a recording on youtube from the European leg of the tour: 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxPyE-lJ8gs

That recording reminds of the Trouble in Dreams tour. Just more agression and vocal projection than the Kaputt and Poison Season tours. Surprisingly, though, sang way more relaxed when I saw him last month. 

Also got a chance to talk to Nick, lead guitarist, after the show. I was pretty drunk by the end of the night, but did manage to mention how they could easily play a 2-hour show. He had a great reaction. Basically admitted that he keeps telling Dan the same thing. Hope the next tour comes soon!

[destruction]

Thank you for pushing the 2 hour Destroyer set!  Our demands should be heard.

Last weekend was a good weekend!  The tale:

I fought Thursday morning rush hour driving to the KEXP space at Seattle Center. I just went by myself. Getting there from the previous night’s show in Boise was pretty heroic! The band was hanging in the public area when I arrived, for some reason this made me super embarrassed, so I left for a while (I was really really early).
Came back and got my ticket, waited another hour, then we were ushered in.  The studio was lit so the band could not see us at all behind the glass. There were @ 50 viewers, including some little kids and an infant in stroller who of course yelled during the taping. When the band came into the studio, it was surreal. I was in the middle, maybe 5 ft behind Dan? He was coughing and drinking tea.
The performance was really fun! Sounded fantastic to me. Weird to watch the camera people running around.  The live feed is here but has sound issues?  Expect it will eventually be available on kexp.org. 
It was over @ 12:30. I went home and napped.

We headed back into town for the show at the Neptune.
Did not enjoy Mega Bog, actually quite grating.  We'd skipped them at PDX.  The hometown Seattle crowd was enthusiastic.  
Destroyer were great.  Played "Suicide Demo For Kara Walker" and "Bay Of Pigs", neither of which I'd ever seen live.  I like how they string together the first 3 songs (but it goes by too quick!), and "Hospital"/"Catwalk".  Dan really went for the "Hey you, come here!" line - this surprised me as he was sipping whisky and still coughing.
I had never seen Dan look at the audience so much as on this tour.  Like really looking at our faces, making eye contact, smiling.  Weird to point out, but I've seen him perform so many times and this is new behavior.  
John Collins made a cameo, playing tambourine on "Cover From The Sun".  
Debriefing with my friend afterwards was interesting.  Not knowing names of songs, he pointed out that the pacing of the show was perfect, really enjoyed the trumpet intro to "Kara Walker", and thought "Times Square" was a reference to the Star Trek TNG episode "Time Squared".  He was impressed by the drums of course, and Ted Bois on keys.  Also thought the band looked cool, a lost art.

On Friday, we drove up to Vancouver.
Our hotel was right behind the Commodore, so the tour bus was just out our window.  We saw some of the guys heading to soundcheck.  Pretty cool!
We went in later, after Mega Bog's set.  I read later that they had a hard time with the loud audience, which is uncool but not surprising.  Here's that review (confusingly mentions "Hey Snow White" where I think she means "In The Morning").
Again I got up near the front.  I love the lighting at the Commodore, they have a row at eye level and are not shy with the fog machine.  Destroyer hit the stage in a puff of blue fog.  Set was similar to Seattle.  Played "The River", which I love.  "Saw You At The Hospital" live breaks into something funky part way through, I'd noticed at the KEXP taping too.  Really good, and "Catwalk" was brutal.
The encore was packed with Vancouver references: "Looter's Follies" and "Chinatown".  (I had my fingers crossed for "Girl In A Sling", which was an unforgettable encore in almost pitch darkness last time at the Commodore.)
John Collins turned up again.  Joseph Shabason was there on sax/flute (wasn't in Seattle the night before) - made "Kara Walker", "Pigs", and "Tinseltown" that much groovier.  There were a lot of people crowded at the side of the stage, including maybe Dan's little one?  Some lucky little girl had a good view anyway!
My friend again had insightful commentary.  He noticed a hometown crowd vibe, that it seemed like a real party.  He thought "Times Square" was better than in Seattle - more raucous, thought Josh Wells was going to pass out.  He was surprised that the final song was relatively mellow ("Chinatown"), but the crowd lost their minds for it.

We got donair and spent the rest of the weekend record shopping.  Got Vauxhall And I on LP and a Hudson's Bay blanket. 

Destroyer is on the lineup for End Of The Road in August in the UK.  Wonder what else is on deck?

[destruction]

Lots of tour dates newly listed - but, mostly Australia (!) and in support of Neko Case.
Got tickets for the latter for Bellingham and Seattle, late November.

[gic]

Apparently, some new Destroyer songs were played during a solo show, source: exclaim.ca/music/article/destroyer-hillside_guelph_on_july_14
That's as much information as I've gotten so far tho

[destruction]

Jul 21, 2018 14:44:24 GMT -5 gic said:

Apparently, some new Destroyer songs were played during a solo show, source: exclaim.ca/music/article/destroyer-hillside_guelph_on_july_14
That's as much information as I've gotten so far tho

The set list from Hillside looked amazing. “I Want This Cyclops”!!!!

Have you seen the footage of two of the new songs? Holy shit. Already stuck in my head.

youtu.be/cCCpEMO00us

youtu.be/3O-yyhc3Ops

So many random live dates coming up...

[kewabe]

Haven't checked the board in awhile, and came across the vids on youtube of the new songs. I even made a post, until I realized you guys beat me to it. Wish the uploaded had recorded "I Want this Cyclops" - I wonder if the re-issuing of City of Daughters & Thief had any influence on Dan playing this... if so, maybe he’ll play some other early stuff on the tour, I’d love to hear Canadian Lover/Falcon’s Escape! I am glad however that they got "A Dangerous Woman Up To A Point." Also, there seems to be a third new song he played at Hillside and the Broadway Theatre in Saskatoon, SK, called "Crimson Tide". Hope to hear that one soon also. Hopefully I can make it to Brooklyn in October, though maybe he'll announce a stop in Philly. One can hope at least.

P.S. Really enjoyed reading your “review” (and hearing your unfamiliar friend’s take) of the shows and KEXP taping. You’re super lucky to be in the Northwest! I was just in Seattle and Victoria for the first time at the end of July/beginning of August for my cousin’s wedding & a little family vacation, it’s such a beautiful area and I really liked the vibe.