Photos and Observations: Wolf Parade @ The Showbox
Wolf Parade @ The Showbox
Feb. 11, 2020 in Seattle
Observations by Jessica Bookwalter and Todd Terry
Photos by Casey Brevig
On a cold Tuesday night, my wife Jessica and I went to see Wolf Parade, or as they are known in our household, Woof Parade, at the Showbox. I was not planning on covering the show so I did not take any notes, but the next morning word came down from Nada HQ that they would like some amateurish words to go with their professionally shot photos.
With that caveat in mind, here are a few of our random observations from the show.
1. The Wolf Parade logo that was projected behind the stage before the band came out reminded me a lot of Super Breakout for the Atari 2600.
2. The band started about 25 minutes after their scheduled start time, so we wondered if they might be on Canadian time.
3. We could not remember what part of Canada the band was from, so we looked it up and found out they were from Montreal. Right after that, they played “Baby Blue” and the lyrics rang out: “Take me back in time, back to Montreal.”
4. The band has been a three piece since multi-instrumentalist Dante DeCaro amicably departed in early 2019. In my opinion, their live sound is noticeably less full than it has been in the past, but they more than make up for it with sheer enthusiasm.
5. Keyboardist / vocalist Spencer Krug drinks out of a proper wine glass, with a stem and everything, because he is classy like that. He wisely moved the glass from his keyboard to his amp in order to avoid spillage.
6. The show was not especially crowded, so there was plenty of elbow room. “Oh, elbow room, elbow room. Got to, got to get us some elbow room.”
7. What is the quintessential Wolf Parade song? When I heard “I’ll Believe in Anything” I thought that had to be it, but then they played “This Heart’s on Fire” and I was no longer sure. Or maybe it is actually perennial set closer and indie rock epic “Kissing the Beehive.”
8. The band seemed very polite. Dare I say, very Canadian? They thanked the crowd A LOT. It was nice.
9. We bought a really cool signed North American tour poster by Canadian comic book writer and artist Simon Roy. The art reminded me a lot of Tank Girl, but my primary Tank Girl reference is the “underrated” 1995 Lori Petty film, so I may have no idea what I am talking about.
10. Fun fact: Jessica’s love of Wolf Parade started way back in 2008, when, faced with the combo of a fear of flying, claustrophobia, and one very tiny plane with no bathroom (meaning no prefunking), the only comfort was listening to Apologies to the Queen Mary on repeat loudly, until landing. It’s been love ever since.
