Pedro the Lion: Live at Club Sound

Pedro the Lion

John Vanderslice
Club Sounds
July 7, 2004

Pedro, Pedro, Pedro. I have been waiting for this show for months. My expectations for a great night were increased by the fact that I am going to miss this year's Warped Tour, and this show would have to fill that void. I wasn't disappointed.

For whatever reason, the show was moved from In the Venue (formerly Brick's) to Club Sounds. Bricks subdivided its space into two venues. In the Venue is for the larger shows and Club Sounds the smaller. The show was scheduled for 7:30. I showed up at 8 p.m. and the line was all the way down the street. I waited in line for about a 45 minutes before being herded into the very small, packed club.

John Vanderslice was the opening act. In preparation for the show I have been listening to a few JV albums. I got curious because I absolutely fell in love with the first JV song I ever heard. An ode to his four-track recorder, "My 424" has become a staple in my mix rotations. Unfortunately, I find the rest of JV's music (and mostly his voice) to be overdramatic and kind of boring. To my disappointment, Vanderslice played no "My 424" leaving me annoyed that I had anxiously waited through his set to hear my favorite song in vain. I was, however, slightly entertained by his 50-year-old organ player who had a gray Brigham Young beard and a beanie on the top of his head that made him look like a Keebler Elf.

Pedro took the stage at about 9:45 and played until the 11 p.m. curfew. It was good from start to finish. The band opened up with "Never Leave a Job Half Done" and "The Fleecing" and continued through a very healthy mix of songs from all of their albums.

After every few songs, lead Singer David Bazan would ask the crowd if they hand any questions. Fans would raise their hands and he would call on them. He fielded questions regarding his respect for women, his Mac computer preference and his musical inspirations. When asked who he preferred-Michelle Branch or Vanessa Carlton-he paused and then replied, "I don't know who that is."

It was the interaction with the crowd that really set this show apart. Bazan answered every question and even catcalls quite seriously. When someone shouted a request for "Priests and Paramedics" he answered, "At this point in the evening I think we know which songs we are planning to play, but thank you."

Pedro played "Options" for the "redheaded guy who knocked on the window of our van and requested it. It was wonderful. The other numbers from Control, "Rapture" and "Penetration" were also highlights of the evening. Fans also got the hits from It's Hard to Find a Friend: "Big Trucks," "Bad Diary Days," and "Of Minor Prophets and their Prostitute Wives." They even did a straightforward cover of Radiohead's "Let Down."

Before the last song, David Bazan told the crowd that he had some serious things that he needed to say. He talked about growing up and feeling that America was a great place, where the idea of "empire first" had been done away with. He continued that he has come to find this to be untrue, with the same raping and pillaging for personal gain to still be the mood of operation in the United States. He said it was important to read, to talk to people, to get informed and to vote.

The band ended with the very beautiful "The Secret of the Easy Yoke" which just about made me cry. There was no encore. There was nothing they could have done to improve on the perfect set.

I found David Bazan in outside of the club talking to a few kids after the show. He sat and talked to a group of us about politics and the state of our country for a half hour or so, showing the connection his has with his fans goes beyond the confines of performer and audience.