Review: Yeasayer at Virgin Mobile FreeFest
The music matched the weather which matched the mood in the late afternoon on Saturday, as (mostly) Baltimore natives Yeasayer played an upbeat, vibrant set, while a warm breeze and ample shade cooled the cheerful, beer-sipping crowd.
The group had the audience on their feet and dancing from start to finish of their hour-long set, launching with “Wait For the Summer,” a particularly apt showcase for Anand Wilder’s soaring, clear-throated singing style.
By the band’s second song, the distinct smell of pot had wafted over to my perch, prompting the affable 26 year-old ex-Marine standing next to me to jokingly demand his fair share.
At times Yeasayer’s sound could be a little muddled, as on “Grizelda,” which with its wailing vocals and unfocused melody sounded like the aural equivalent of a Vaseline-smeared camera.
But they did well to promptly switch into the catchy, funky “O.N.E.,” where direct lyrics (“Control me like you used to/No, you don’t move me anymore/And I’m glad that you don’t, ‘cause I can’t have you anymore”), seemed to hint at some past experience of on-again, off-again dysfunction.
The band finished up with “Ambling Alp,” a sunny finish to which almost everyone around me sang along. Before they head to their next gig in Millvale, Pennsylvania, the group will apparently first be taking care of some important business—catching the Ravens play the Cleveland Browns tomorrow.
- Yeganeh June Torbati
Yeganeh June Torbati is a new Baltimore Sun breaking news reporter, and lover of all things Wu-Tang. She tweets at @jtorbati
Photo: Special to the Baltimore Sun, Josh Sisk
Erik Maza is a features reporter at the Baltimore Sun. He writes for several sections of the Sun paper and contributes weekly columns on music and nightlife. He also writes and edits the Midnight Sun blog. He often covers entertainment, business, and the business of entertainment. Occasionally, he writes about Four Loko, The Block, the liquor board, and those who practice "
