Kishi Bashi Played Irving Plaza [photos]

Photos by Jonathon Bernstein

A Kishi Bashi show is always an event not to be missed, but for one reason or another the Thursday night show at Irving Plaza was extra epic. Perhaps it was that the night started with concert goers arriving in a surprise end-of-summer thunderstorm, or the awesomeness of the opening act, or the fact that K Ishibashi has a couple more years of confidence under his belt. Whatever it was, the show was easily on of the highlights of the year. 

Starting with Elizabeth and the Catapult– a Brooklyn based band whose no frills indie pop absolutely captured the already packed house. Elizabeth Zieman’s voice filled ever crevice of the theater and was only made more powerful by her backing band, whose enthusiasm matched her’s at every turn.

Kishi Bashi took the stage with a full band for his headlining performance and immediately launched into the songs from his much lauded debut 151A. While Ishibashi is undeniably powerful and engaging on stage by himself, the addition of a drummer, banjoist (touring partner Tall Tall Trees) and guitarist added power and layers of sound to his already wildly powerful and complex music. The audience was assaulted with sound, and the interplay of the band just made the show somehow even more fun to watch. Along with all the old hits, Ishibashi brought out a handful of new songs, including a rocker about dancing steak, all of which absolutely brought down the house. The highlight of the night, and it really was a night full of highlights, came at the surprise encore. When Ishibashi suddenly leaped into the crowd as his band members rocketed into Led Zeppelin’s “A Whole Lotta Love.” When Ishibashi came back on stage, he joined the impromptu rocking, making it perhaps the only cover of Led Zeppelin to prominently feature both a banjo and violin. It was the perfect end to a pretty perfect show.

Kishi Bashi

Elizabeth & The Catapult