They would sell you a secret for your soul
By the time Mercury Rev arrived onstage, the sun had disappeared and the dark of night had taken hold. Which was a perfect backdrop for a band whose sound over the years has become more anthemic and huge as the albums have progressed.
With an almost gothic look, Jonathon Donahue is an enigmatic frontman, all gestures and waves, as he seems to control the flow of his band almost like a conductor would an orchestra. Donahue is clearly a driving force in the band but the same could be said for Grasshopper, the band's guitarist. As small and wiry as Donahue is tall and impressive, Grasshopper commands the band with nods and movements and the struggle between the two is a source of entertainment throughout the gig.
With the building of Mercury Rev's sound to a bigger, more orchestral feel, their set has become slightly one paced. There are no complaints about the quality of the songs and individually each has it's own story and history to tell, but the set lacks old up-tempo songs such as 'Car Wash Hair' or 'Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp'
However, 'Goddess On A Highway' was rapturously received and was an impressive highlight of the set. Other tracks from the 'Deserter Songs' album followed and the crowd could only stand and swoon and croon along with the band as they were whisked away by the grandeur of the music.
It is not a bad set when you have no complaints about any of the songs that were played but at times there can be a strong yearning for songs that don't appear.