Of Monsters and Men from June 11

There's been a number of shows along with a 3 day music festival between the Of Monsters and Men show and today, so this won't be my most detailed post, but it'll give you the gist of how Of Monsters and Men are live.

Half Moon Run

Half Moon Run began the show as the first opener, with HAIM after them. Half Moon Run performed only a few songs, but overall I enjoyed them. I wish I could say the same for HAIM, but it seems like they're just not for me. Half Moon Run has one song available on Spotify and iTunes, but they're releasing an album on July 23. I'm certain we'll see more of them in the near future, and they're definitely a band to keep an eye on.

I've listened to HAIM a few times since the show and definitely like their recorded songs much more, but I can't see myself as a huge fan. Maybe it was because I was just so ready to see Of Monsters and Men and hadn't been ready for TWO openers, or maybe I just really dislike their music. I don't know, but either way it left me with a bad impression of HAIM. They had a huge range of styles though, from a Michael Jackson feel, to a hard rocker style. I remember liking the song "Falling" (which I'm listening to now and ok I'll admit I may not hate them as much as I thought). The pop style seemed to work for them, but then there were songs with tons of drums and screaming that I really couldn't stand. Maybe on the recorded tracks it doesn't sound like screaming, but live some of the songs sounded like a bunch of girls screaming into a microphone. I was so ready for Of Monsters and Men to get on the stage. However, I don't want to turn people away from HAIM, because as I listen to their studio albums I really do appreciate some songs, and tons of people are calling them a band to watch. They have a Spotify Session and were featured at the iTunes Festival in London last year, so obviously they're making a name for themselves. Also, if they were able to tour with Of Monsters and Men, there must be people who like them. I really believe that everybody needs to have an open mind about all music styles, and listen to all genres without making any immediate decisions on what they like. Somebody else's view of a style of music should stimulate your curiosity and encourage you to go listen to it and see how you feel about it, not to immediately judge it or dislike it. I don't like to say I've ever seen a "bad" band because there are always going to be a few bad shows, and what I like somebody else may hate, while what I hate could be someone's favorite song.

Of Monsters and Men

Ok enough with my philosophy on music, Of Monsters and Men were really great, but didn't play enough of the music everybody has grown to love. Of course they played all their hits, and they were all great, but I was surprised by how early they played "Little Talks" in the show.  I can't remember exactly what song they closed the initial set with, but I remember wondering if they wouldn't have an encore because they had played all their hits already. They ended up giving us one, but it was not at all what I expected. They played a cover of a song by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and ended the entire show with "Yellow Light" which is a fine song if you're in the mood for it, but at a live show I would want to leave with a song that the band didn't just describe as a "lullaby" right before they played it. The lighting was cool with the song, they had yellow streaks of light all over the stage, but still not what I would expect or want from a live show. The show overall though was great and really fun, but I was disappointed with the very end of it.

Of Monsters and Men playing "Yellow Light"