Band of Horses do not look like a band at all, in fact they look like they just got off the farm and ready to go down to the local watering hole to talk about how miserable their lives are. Band of Horses do not look like they belong in big cities, they look like small town boys that will know everyone who will be born in that town and know everything about them and will never look to never ever leave that town. Yet, like most things in life, looks can be deceiving, in fact, Band of Horses proved their looks wrong last night as they played an intimate concert at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City on Monday night for the "Live on Letterman" webseries.
Band of Horses arrived through the doors of the iconic theater deep in the heart of midtown like regular guys, but the Charlestown via Seattle band displayed anything but regular as soon as they took the stage. The day before their fourth album, Mirage Rock, hit shelves, they performed a roaring 45-minute set for fans, record label personnel, contest winners and members of the CBS family. Opening their set with their new album opener, "Knock Knock," the country meets alternative meets southern rock outfit displayed everything they had and everything they are made of. From opening with a new track, it was onto "Compliments" off their last record, Infinite Arms which really had everyone in the room cheering. Finding a perfect balance between older songs and new material, Band of Horses showed off how they can appeal to nearly any music fan thanks to their all American sound, passionate lyrics and thunderous musicianship. Singer Ben Bridwell would talk about the bands history of playing The Late Show withe David Letterman, from their embarrassing moments to triumphant ones, but Bridwell humbly focused more on the humiliating ones. The audience was embracing everything they were being given, both musically and personally and made the unique experience that much more special. Closing with "The Funeral," nearly everyone in the room had chills, hearing that song live just adds a total new dimension to its power and was a perfect way to close the night. While they sure do not look like rockstars or city boys, Band of Horses seem to take comfort in that, which says a lot about the people they are and the music they make, they are very comfortable in their own skin and Monday night at Ed Sullivan proved all of that.
See for yourself, watch the full performance below:
