Music Union : Live Your Music

Henry J. Hauser, Skeptic, NY Transplant

Gothic chandeliers dip and dangle overhead the Fillmore Auditorium, as flannel clad folksters scrupulously survey burgundy velvet curtains. A conduit for many cataclysmic, history-shifting performances from such immortals as Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, Miles Davis and The Who, to name drop a few, the SF Fillmore has since been purchased, branded, and franchised by Live Nation, creator of the 50% “convenience surcharge” and the sworn enemy of the church of rock n’ roll. Though Denver, Detroit, Philly, NYC, and Charlotte now also stake claims to the Fillmore name, music venue historians write off these abominations. But hey, the campaign against corporatism can wait; we’re here for a show.

As the front man and songwriter Eric Earley glided modestly onto the stage, an oscillating sea of iPhone cameras, contraband lighters and an easily identifiable sweet, pungent aroma greeted him. Earley kicked back his head, sending jet-black waves into a turbulent jiggle, strapping his signature mother-of-pearl tipped Gibson. From the harmonica-drenched “Silver Moon” to the animalistic “Fur,” the Portland folk group dug deep into its diverse catalog, delighting the hundreds in attendance. Fresh off an appearance on the Jimmy Fallon Show to promote their newest LP, Destroyer of the Void, Blitzen’s tight, infectious hooks and seamless vocal harmonies shook the Fillmore from its hallowed hardwood floorboards to its cathedral ceiling.

Dedicated fans, refusing to go home and to bed without a “Sleepytime in the Western World” sendoff, stomped and hollered until the sextet returned for a healthy encore. “Congratulations, San Francisco,” rhythm guitarist and melodica virtuoso Drew Laughery lauded and “laugh”-eried: “that was the most superior encore call of the entire tour!”

The audience erupted again, soaking up the well-earned praise. Midnight and the shut-down public transportation rapidly approaching, Earley capped off the evening, purring an A Capella:

“your eyelids are made of lead you can’t keep them up / ’cause it’s sleepytime / and that’s no crime in the western world.”