The New Pornographers - The Majestic Theater, Madison, Wisconsin

Not a lot of bands survive a major lineup change while keeping a steady quality.  Whether the dynamic changes too much or the talented member leaves the group, this can be a disaster for any good band.  So when a band like The New Pornographers, a group with a half-dozen changes with varying degrees of permanence, announces a tour, you’re not always certain what you’re going to get.

This was where my head was at on the night of the release of In the Morse Code of Break Lights as I walked into The Majestic Theater in Madison, Wisconsin. I expected to enjoy the night at a bare minimum, though I hadn’t had much time to listen to the new songs since their release that morning. I had pleasantly surprised to see that Neko Case was on this tour with them, as she hadn’t been at several other previous dates in recent years.  Having never seen the band though, I couldn’t pass up seeing them in the city I live in after failing to catch them nearby before.  As the band took the stage around 9:45, I got even more nervous, wondering if they were going to stick to a hard 11 PM curfew.  I’m no stranger to 75 minute sets, but with a catalogue spanning as many years as The New Pornographers, I was hoping for a much longer set

From the start of the evening, the band was electric.  Carl Newman leaned into the microphone and announced “Our new record came out today.  It’s pretty exciting!” before announcing that they had practised some old songs for this tour.  It was at this point they played “Crash Years” off of 2007’s Challengers for the first time in 5 years.  The crowd went absolutely ballistic, and the band responded by playing hit after hit the rest of the night.  New and old, each song sounded like a perfect fit for the group in their current formation. 

After what felt like not a significant amount of time at all, I looked down at my watch to see that it was 11:20, far past the assumed curfew. Newman asked the crowd for requests, stating that they’d like some ideas of what to play. While most were met with a “No, we don’t know how to play that one anymore” (with the occasional “I don’t like that one”, the ones chosen were crowd-pleasers.  It’s not often you see a band take hold of a crowd like that night, but it’s not something you forget. 

The evening came to a close shortly before midnight.  As I walked to my car I thought through the many shows I’ve seen this year and recognized just how special this one was.  Whether it was energy off the new record release, a love for the city of Madison, or just a product of being a damn good live band, The New Pornographers cemented themselves in my mind as a top tier show, and I hope that everyone who sees them this go-around is able to have a fraction of the experience.