Concert review: Beach House at Rabbit Rabbit
When covering a show, it’s not uncommon for me to check the time and think, “How much longer can they drag this out?” But on Saturday, July 9, with Beach House deep into its set, I checked the time in hopes that it wasn’t nearly as close to ending as I assumed. With a tight curfew of 10 p.m., every show at Rabbit Rabbit can be a race against the clock, and I wasn’t quite ready for this one to end.
The music started half an hour later than originally scheduled, with opener Mary Lattimore taking the stage at 7:30. Her delicate, looped harp playing provided a shimmering soundtrack as seemingly every hip young adult in Asheville poured into the converted parking lot.
Following a short break, Victoria Legrand, Alex Scally, and James Barone arrived on stage just as the sun was setting. Whether or not the later-than-usual headline set time was intentionally in alignment with sunset, it was fitting for a band whose dreamy sounds are best complemented by darkness. Performing as silhouettes against a backdrop of colorful projections, Beach House kicked off the euphoric set with the titular track from its sprawling new double album, Once Twice Melody. If there was any concern from fans that the trio wouldn’t break out past hits, it was quickly remedied when they followed with “Silver Soul” from the band’s 2010 breakout album Teen Dream.
From thereon out, Legrand & Co. offered a satisfying supply of dream pop goodness from throughout their impeccable discography, including many standouts from their 2015 masterpiece Depression Cherry. Halfway into the set, an energetic performance of “Dark Spring” — during which Legrand swung her hair wildly behind her keyboard — provided the high point of the night.
Promptly at 10 p.m., following a stellar rendition of the gorgeous 2012 classic “Myth,” Legrand thanked the crowd and said goodbye. Yearning for an encore that wouldn’t come, the devoted fans eagerly stood by, even after the trio exited the stage and the house music began playing.
It wasn’t that Beach House was shortchanging its fans. The band made the smart decision of playing straight through, rather than wasting time going through the unnecessary theatrics of a planned encore. One of the great philosophies of showbiz is to always leave them wanting more, and Beach House surely did that.
Setlist
Once Twice Melody
Silver Soul
PPP
Pink Funeral
Levitation
Lazuli
Dark Spring
Superstar
Wildflower
Modern Love Stories
Lemon Glow
Space Song
New Romance
Myth
(Photos by Jonny Leather)
