CONCERT REVIEW: Andrew Bird/Patrick Watson @ Union Transfer 4/3

Andrew Bird and Patrick Watson rolled into Union Transfer on Thursday with minimal baggage.

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CONCERT REVIEW: Andrew Bird/Patrick Watson @ Union Transfer 4/3

POSTED: Monday, May 7, 2012, 4:40 PM

Filed Under: Music Concert Review

(Sherry Kercher)

Andrew Bird and Patrick Watson rolled into Union Transfer on Thursday with minimal baggage. They used relatively few instruments to masterfully produce intricate compositions that touched on a range of genres, such as pop, classical and bluegrass. Both artists took us on a whimsical, melodic journey a la Watson’s latest album, Adventures in Your Own Backyard” amid a smoke machine, spiraling mid-air tornados behind the stage (Weather Systems, perhaps?), and a spinning double-gramophone guarded by a peaceful-looking sock monkey. With Patrick Watson, we started with the quiet notes of “Lighthouse,” then traveled up to the harder tones of “Morning Sheets,” then down again to the hush of the title track. We then took off with Bird on flights both new and what he called “old-timey” with a shared mic. His selections included the opening “Hole in the Ocean Floor,” the surprise “Action/Adventure” (first time played with his band, he said), the popular “Plasticities” and the encore of “If I Needed You” by Townes Van Zandt and “I’m Going Home” by Charley Patton. We landed with a thud, hoping for a second encore. But we’ll stay dizzy and grounded for now, and await both artists’ next flights into Philly.

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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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