Photo by Katie L. Thompson

When we talked to Adam Granduciel last week, The War on Drugs‘ singer mentioned that the most important element for their live band was, “just about getting comfortable with the songs and the feel of the songs.” This emphasis on the spirit rather than direct recreation of material was clearly apparent seeing them Friday night at Red Palace. Listening to Slave Ambient in advance may have given the audience an idea of the band’s jumping off point, but the songs definitely took on a life of their own onstage.

They culled most of their set from Slave Ambient and the songs remained engaging, if not slightly different. “Your Love is Calling My Name” seemed more ambient than on record, where as “Baby Missiles” seemed to pack a harder percussive punch. The band also just seemed to be letting themselves go. Most of them played with closed eyes, as if they had lost themselves in the aural massage that they’d been delivering to the crowd. At one point in their set, Granduciel swayed around with such force that he threatened to fall into the drunk kit. He joked that they wanted to play for 2 hours and 20 minutes with no encore…essentially their entire catalog. The way the Red Palace crowd danced during “Arms Like Boulders”, no one would have complained.

Admittedly, the audience had been well prepared by the two openers. Local quartet Paperhaus sound like they’re still laying the foundation, but that they’re laying it on some good ideas. At their best, they sprinkled Explosions in the Sky-esque guitar riffs and some Television rhythms to give their Leonard Cohen-influenced tunes some depth. While Paperhaus’ songs leaned more toward the folk end of the spectrum, Caveman’s songs were, according to Granduciel, “dark and vibey.” This is to say: the synth lines remained buried beneath the beautifully droning guitars and two very precise percussionists. The result sounded like a crunchier Grizzly Bear or White Rabbits with more new wave sensibilities.