“A hot show is a good show!”

As Zach Condon and company walked back onstage for a three-song encore which featured the crowd favourite “Nantes”, bassist Paul Collins couldn’t have said it better. It was a hot show and yes, chances are if you were standing amongst the hundreds of fans on the floor of the Phoenix Theatre, you were sweaty to some extent, but damn it, it was a good show.

Playing alongside Beirut at the Phoenix on Thursday night were San Francisco’s The Dodos, who brought along a full set of new songs from their upcoming album Time to Die. Energetic, enthusiastic and refreshing, the Dodos’ set was albeit short but fantastic. Their lack of old material in their set did confuse some and made it more of a stand-and-observe experience but many seemed to embrace the new tracks with smiles and mild dancing. The briefness of the set did leave one wanting more though; for a more enriching live experience of the Dodos one must check them out when they return to Toronto in October at Lee’s.

By the time the Dodos finished, the venue was packed. Chattering of anticipation was at a high, which became the issue once the band came onstage. As a side note to the show itself, which was phenomenal and I will get to in a second, the chit chat was the low point of the night. Folks – we came to hear Beirut; not to hear about your latest work problems or your relationship issues. Its common courtesy to keep your mouth shut while the band is playing. But given the fact that this show took place at the Phoenix, it was almost expected, but still annoying. I’m sorry, but shut the fuck up.

Back to the show…

The second Zach Condon walked onstage, the venue erupted. Condon possesses a presence and maturity beyond his actual age (the man is only 23 years-old) and it shows with every movement onstage, from his modest smiles to his transcending hand swoops, counting the beats as if he was orchestrating the whole band. The former feature, the smiles, made the show that much more enjoyable as Condon rarely let that smile fade throughout the set. It’s nice to see a musician like him, who gets misconstrued often as a serious person smile and generally just look like he’s having a good time on stage. Even though the frustrations of being a short girl in a crowd got to me at moments, that earnest smile made it worth while.

Crowd pleasers, “A Sunday Smile” and the aforementioned “Nantes” drew some of the loudest applause and sing-a-longs, as everyone swayed back and forth to the joyous, grandiose spectacle. Hearing Beirut live breathes not new but just a more vivacious life into every song and the live energy projected by the band is too infectious for words. Even if Beirut doesn’t sound like a band you’d dance to, feet were a-tapping and bodies were moving to every beat. Chit-chat aside, this was a near-perfect show. So good, I was almost unable to return to Beirut on record afterwards. But until next time, I guess I have to rely on the records…and YouTube.

For more Beirut,
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/beruit
Website: http://www.beirutband.com/