The music of the Fleet Foxes brings to mind cold winter evenings by the fire, hot chocolate, and warm sweaters. That's why I wasn't surprised when the Seattle quintet strolled on stage Tuesday night at the Fillmore clad in plaid shirts and wool sweaters. The Foxes started their set with "Sun Giant," a song from their second EP, and continued on with crowd favorites like White Winter Hymnal and English House.
The group, led by the honey-throated Robin Pecknold, lulled the young crowd into complacency with their perfectly constructed harmonies. The Foxes left Pecknold to perform solo for three songs midway through the show. Though he was visibly shy, Pecknold excelled by himself, performing a Duncan Brown piece, Oliver James, and an unfinished new song. He also professed his love multiple times for the Bay Area--particularly, the restaurant Herbivore (the name drew wild cheers from the crowd).
When the band returned, they tested out a new song--understandable for a band that only has one full-length album and an EP. They continued on with familiar songs like He Doesn't Know Why and Mykonos before leaving the stage to an audience hungry for more. Pecknold came back out by himself, unplugged his guitar, and sang Katie Cruel at the edge of the stage to a completely silent crowd. I've only seen a band pull that stunt off once before, and it was in a much smaller venue than the Fillmore.
Afterwards, Pecknold plugged himself back in and sang Tiger Mountain Peasant Song before the rest of the band returned to play a new song. The Foxes capped off the night with Blue Ridge Mountains, accompanied by concert openers Blitzen Trapper on egg shakers and tambourines. It took nearly half an hour to get out of the venue, but no one seemed to mind--the crowd was still blissed out on the harmonies of the Fleet Foxes.
Ariel Schwartz is a freelance writer and blogger based in San Francisco. You can check out her work at Fast Company and Clean Technia.
