Owen Pallett at Webster Hall 4/22

From his solo work built upon an intricate looping system to his orchestral arrangements for artists like the Arcade Fire and Pet Shop Boys, Owen Pallett is pretty much amazing.

But regardless of how great his recorded work is – and it is – there’s something about his live performance that is unlike anything else. During his show at Webster Hall on April 22, Pallett delivered. Seamless violin loops with complex arrangements featured on songs old and new.

The set list drew mainly from recent album ‘Heartland’, the first to be released under his own name rather than his Final Fantasy moniker. He dropped the pseudonym presumably because of possible copyright claims by the video game series, but the change also marked a shift towards a grander style in his music.

With that came a modified live set and the recruitment of fellow Canadian Thomas Gill to supplement the show with everything from guitar to percussion.

Pallett opened his set unaccompanied, playing a few songs from his back catalogue before saying that it’d be only new songs from that point on. Still, some of his best old songs were yet to come – notably ‘He Poos Clouds’ and ‘Many Lives -> 49 MP,’ the former of which received one of the biggest applauses of the night.

With the stage dark except for one light on him, ‘He Poos Clouds’ also provided a moment that confirmed there’s still something special about just Pallett alone onstage with his violin.

Gill did provide a depth to songs that Pallett alone could not though, notably on ‘The Butcher,’ which was phenomenal.  ‘Lewis Takes Action’ was another standout, with Gill and Pallett feeding off of each other from opposite sides of the stage to create its pulsing and layered sound. Set closer ‘Lewis Takes Off His Shirt,’ with its repetitive lyric “I’m never gonna give it to you,” had a faster pace than the recorded version and saw Pallett’s violin reaching an almost frantic pace.

The encore was ‘The CN Tower Belongs to the Dead,’ followed by his cover of Mariah Carey’s ‘Fantasy.’ It was a great way to end the night – a fun song that he’s made completely his own over the years. 

He was in a good mood throughout, bantering a bit when setting up loops and telling the crowd he was “flattered and honored” that people came to see him. He had nothing to prove, but there was never any question about it – Webster Hall was Owen Pallett’s on Thursday.

http://owenpalletteternal.com/
http://www.myspace.com/owenpallettmusic