There was no shortage of gratitude at last night’s Built to Spill show at theCulture Room, the band’s first South Florida appearance in two and a half years. “Thank you for coming to South Florida!” shouted one fan. “Thank you for being Built to Spill!” proclaimed another admirer. The band, not known for its lengthy between-song banter, simply responded with humble thanks in return. The love clearly went both ways as Built to Spill played a riveting, nearly two-hour set, aided by the deafening roar of a jam-packed crowd.
But first, opening act RevoltRevolt, fellow indie rockers from Boise, Idaho performed, and as usual when it comes to opening acts, I arrived during the last five minutes of their set. I didn’t hear enough to critique them, but here’s what a couple of them looked like:
Then Built to Spill played, opening with the entrancing “Traces,” from 2006’sYou in Reverse, which was followed, seemingly out of nowhere, by “Twin Falls,” a short, sweet cult favorite from 1993’s There’s Nothing Wrong With Love. A tune from the band’s latest release, There is No Enemy, came next, and “Nowhere Nothing F***up,” a cut from the band’s very first album, followed soon thereafter. All of this goes to show one of the things I love about Built to Spill- the unpredictable set lists, which not only vary from night to night but delve deep into the group’s extensive back catalog. Unlike most bands’ album-promoting tours, Built to Spill’s show last night was hardly a showcase for its latest output. Quite the contrary; I believe they only played three songs fromThere is No Enemy. Even though the band has evolved musically since the early days, many of their fans, myself included, have the greatest fondness for the early records, with their quirky narratives about misfits, outcasts and dreams. It was another refreshing treat to hear the old gem “Distopian Dream Girl,” though Built to Spill’s greatest hit “Car,” easily the most requested song from the audience, was conspicuously omitted.
Closing the proper set list with the epic, swirling “Carry the Zero,” frontman Doug Martsch returned for a delectable solo acoustic set of two songs from his folk/blues release Now You Know, another welcome surprise. The whole band then came back for “Hindsight” and “Time Trap,’ two enormous crowd-pleasers.
Considering last time Built to Spill played down here was in the context of the now sadly defunct Langerado music festival, it was great to discover that they’re popular enough on their own to fill clubs. Let’s hope it doesn’t take another two and half years to bring them back.
