Photo by Caitlin Savage
Brooklyn indie-rockers, Grizzly Bear, captivated a packed house at the Ogden Theatre on Tuesday Night with their impressive harmonies, bewitching light show and seething instrumentals. Frontman and founding member, Ed Droste, bassist/vocalist/multi-brass instrumentalist Chris Taylor, guitarist/vocalist Daniel Rossen, drummer Christopher Bear and recent addition of touring keyboardist, Aaron Arntz, comprise the now five-piece ensemble, which has recently returned to grace us stateside after a tour across the pond.
Droste continually apologized for having neglected Denver for nearly seven years since their 2007 stint at Larimer Lounge. Droste has a unique connection with Colorado, stemming from a year spent living in the mountains at age 11. And, though written in New York, the band’s 2006 album “Yellow House” closed with the hypersensitive track “Colorado.” The band’s smoldering sound has landed them with coveted spots at famed festivals like Lollapalooza, SXSW and Coachella, but they’re quite content keeping the artistic individuality that comes with playing these more intimate venues.
Grizzly opened with a well-received “Speak In Rounds” as the simple, yet recognizable, drum intro sent the 16 and over crowd to their toes, bobbing heads in unison to heavy lyrics advising, “step down just once learn how to be alone.” Worthwhile advice for someone swaying solo at a rock show. They smoothly segued to guitar riff for “Sleeping Ute,’ another notably discernible instrumental sound that captivated the dreaming audience.
Photo by Caitlin Savage
The pace slackened for an all too introspective version of “Colorado.” The droning song seemed to last for a lifetime and even the jelly-fish lights fastened to the backdrop seemed to whisper, we want more energy. The crowd, though appreciative of the song named for their beautiful state, seemed to lose a bit of their earlier rapture during the hanging harmonies and diluted down-tempo instrumentals. Grizzly pulled it together shortly after for searing renditions of “Yet Again” and “A Simple Answer,” which each tossed a hefty amount of life back into the momentarily lethargic crowd.
My curious gaze continually fixed on bassist Chris Taylor, as he pulled from his rack of brass instruments to transition between guitar, clarinet, flute and saxophone. Impressively enough, switching between four diverse instruments never became an issue for the sometimes-producer, who managed to dexterously kneel down and exchange instruments in a matter of seconds, sometimes surprising audience members by briefly disappearing only to pop back up for a clarinet solo.
Photo by Caitlin Savage
There were moments of vocal bliss and minutes teeming with the fullness of a truly skilled bunch of musicians joining forces to produce something profoundly dissimilar from other sounds out there right now. The crowd’s energy soared upon first keys into “Two Weeks,” the poppier track that introduced the band to contained stardom. The masses unified into a heap of believers as the Grizzly had us all rapt in the throes of their most popular song. Bodies oscillated from left to right as Droste’s voice carried through the superior acoustics of Ogden Theatre, supported by soaring harmonies of three other wildly talented vocalists.
“Would you always? Maybe sometimes? Make it easy? Take your time.”
And while it seems as if Grizzly Bear definitely took their time getting back to Denver, the product was worth the wait.
If you went to the show, look out for your photos in our gallery.