CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Jeff Mangum and his fellow Neutral Milk Hotel band members have reunited for the first time since their landmark album, In The Aeroplane Over the Sea. After emerging from an extended reclusive period within the last few years, Mangum’s performances have become sacred among the band’s loyal followers. With a consistent balance between Mangum performing solo and the rest of the seven members joining him on stage, including a Santa-looking horn virtuoso named Scott Spillane, Neutral Milk Hotel provided its audience with a thoroughly entertaining, emotionally intense concert, which I had the pleasure of attending.

Following a kick-ass opening set by Elf Power, Neutral Milk Hotel’s label mate Mangum took the stage solo to perform fan favorite, and In The Aeroplane Over the Sea’s emotional center, “Oh Comely.” As was evident on his previous solo tour, there is a palpable connection between the audience members and the soft-spoken rock star. While many could question the necessity of a Neutral Milk Hotel reunion tour, with Mangum’s solo performances already earning rave reviews for their intimacy and raw emotion, no audience member could doubt the empowering wail of the horns on “Fool.” The intimacy, however, was not lost in the cacophony of the instruments, as Mangum’s voice soared above the rest of the music. His notoriously shrill and loud voice infuses his music with the emotional impact evident in his lyrics. It is a voice that incites expressions of incredulity and sadness. Few artists have ever achieved songs that resonate so strongly with their audience, but the Neutral Milk Hotel devotees were in heaven at Saturday’s show, singing these songs verbatim with a zeal and affection typically reserved for Scripture.

Following the upbeat “Holland,1945,” along with a punk-rock version of “Gardenhead,” the concert took another meditative turn as Mangum crooned the heartbreaking poetry of “Two-Headed Boy.” However, the concert’s peak came during the performance of both “King of Carrot Flowers Pt. 1” and “King of Carrot Flowers Pts. 2 & 3,” as numerous audience members became overwhelmed with emotion and began weeping. The band displayed its appreciation to the fans by playing hidden tracks such as “Ferris Wheel on Fire” and “Everything Is.” And, while the band did cater to diehard fans, with the set list including a surprising number of songs from On Avery Island, including crowd-pleaser “Song Against Sex,” the band managed to play all its hits. By the time they played “In The Aeroplane Over The Sea,” the entire crowd was on its feet.

When the band came out for its four encore songs, Jeff requested that everyone rise to their feet before tearing the house down with the infectious “Ghost.” Of course, this upbeat vibe could not last, and the band closed the show with two of its most reflective songs, “Engine” and “Two-Headed Boy Pt. 2.” Hopefully this tour and their upcoming Coachella appearance are a sign of more to come. There has not been a Neutral Milk Hotel record in 16 years, but with the recent beginning of their world tour, diehard fans across the world are hoping for a follow up to their previous success.