Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom
photo by P Squared

Wolf Parade continued their Bowery Ballroom run (night 3 review & setlist ++ more night 1 pics)

photos by P Squared

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade are officially back and they’re great as ever. On Tuesday, they released a new EP, and hours later began their 5-show run at NYC’s Bowery Ballroom. The run continued on Wednesday, and again last night (5/19). The setlists have varied a bit each night (the order changes more than the actual selection), and last night’s show began with the Apologies to the Queen Mary opener “You Are A Runner And I Am My Father’s Son,” which had the band looking and sounding more than ready to start this night off with a bang (and most of the crowd seemed like they would agree). Wolf Parade seemed genuinely flattered at the packed turnout every night for these (quickly-sold-out) shows, and they were clearly loving playing these songs again. The band was in fine form, performing with all the power and eccentricity that made them great in the first place. Dan was especially his usually wild self, hardly ever staying still. And the moments where Dan, Spencer and Dante DeCaro were all belting out “whoa”s at once had them still looking like a young band eager to prove themselves. The audience was clearly very glad to have them back too, with a crowd that came ready to bounce around and raise their fists. (By the last song of the pre-encore set, “I”ll Believe In Anything,” you could feel the floor shaking.)

As for the setlist, you couldn’t have really asked for a better batch of songs. Obviously there’ll always be a few you wish you heard (I wish they played “It’s A Curse” and “Fancy Claps”), but still it was killer selection off Apologies, a handful of favorites off the other two albums (“Soldier’s Grin,” “What Did My Lover Say?,” “Ghost Pressure,” etc) and three of the four songs on their new EP. The band really was on fire (no pun intended) at the very end of their pre-encore set with “Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts” into “This Heart’s On Fire” into the aforementioned “I’ll Believe In Anything.” But maybe the most memorable moment was the sludgy ten-plus minute encore closer “Kissing the Beehive” off At Mount Zoomer. The guys were really feeding off each other, totally in the zone, and maybe louder than they’d been all night.

Last night, like the previous night, was opened by Future Islands offshoot The Snails, which has frontman Sam T. Herring as wild as he is in his main band (and all the members dressed as snails). The sax player (still dressed as a snail) joined WP on stage a few times, and Spencer and Dan jokingly apologized for letting “actual snails” on the stage.

Wolf Parade do it again tonight (5/20) with Sam Patch (member of Arcade Fire), and they wrap up on Saturday (5/21) with Cut Worms. They’ll return to NYC in June for a big, free, outdoor Northside Festival show with Land of Talk (RSVP).

Check out last night’s setlist, and some pictures from night 1 (which Doomsquad opened):

Doomsquad at Bowery Ballroom

Doomsquad at Bowery Ballroom

Doomsquad at Bowery Ballroom

Doomsquad at Bowery Ballroom

Doomsquad

Doomsquad at Bowery Ballroom

Doomsquad at Bowery Ballroom

Doomsquad at Bowery Ballroom

Doomsquad at Bowery Ballroom

Doomsquad at Bowery Ballroom

Doomsquad at Bowery Ballroom

Doomsquad at Bowery Ballroom

Doomsquad at Bowery Ballroom

Doomsquad at Bowery Ballroom

Doomsquad at Bowery Ballroom

Doomsquad at Bowery Ballroom

Doomsquad at Bowery Ballroom

Doomsquad at Bowery Ballroom

Doomsquad at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

Wolf Parade at Bowery Ballroom

WOLF PARADE NIGHT 3 SETLIST
You Are a Runner and I Am My Father’s Son
Soldier’s Grin
What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had to Go This Way)
Oh You, Old Thing
Ghost Pressure
We Built Another World
Mr. Startup
Fine Young Cannibals
C’est La Vie Way
Floating World
Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts
This Heart’s On Fire
I’ll Believe in Anything

Encore:
Shine a Light
Kissing the Beehive