Show Reviews | Pinback at The Bluebird Theater

Ok, so, like 6 years ago my friend Tony tossed me a cd of this band called Pinback. And it was just one of those things, the cd came at the perfect time of my life, just in time for me to listen obsessively to it for like 2 years, then put it away in a drawer and never follow up. For me, after about 2005, Pinback no longer existed. But I was, like, CRAZY for that cd, I can’t even describe how much I loved it. So I was beyond intrigued to see that Pinback was playing the Bluebird Theater on Monday night. They still play? They’ve released new music since MY cd back in 2004? You mean, they exist outside of my imagination? What?

Apparently, they also exist in the minds of lots of guys who wear wife-beaters. Which is odd, because Pinback plays spacey pretty alt-rock. Adult contemporary indie rock, I called it last night. And the title is apt. They rock out, but they do so responsibly and respectfully, and make sure everyone gets home and gets to bed at a decent hour. They’re just nice guys like that. So I found it funny that there was a large contingent of dudes wearing backwards baseball caps and yelling stuff like “YEEEEAHHHHHH, Play “Fortress”, DUDES!!!!!”

Also, have you seen the lead singer of Pinback? He’s totally metal. Last night he was wearing this hardcore black metal shirt, and a baseball cap, and he has a metal beard down to his chest. He was onstage before the show tuning his guitar for like 10 minutes, then all of a sudden Pinback just started to play and he was still onstage, and singing!! J says to me “Oh my god, I thought he was a roadie or something.” Yeah, I actually thought so too. Then, after the first song he said hello and welcomed us to the show and told some cute little anecdote, and the voice that came out of this huge metal guy was the sweetest, cutest, kindest voice you could ever imagine. Holy preconceived prejudices, Batman!

Sadly, one of the members is sick with a brain tumor. He’ll be totally fine soon, but it was sad for me because they had like a substitute rock star filling in for him, and they didn’t have time to teach the substitute rock star all their songs, so they only played a few of their older ones, including a lackluster version of Loro. But they played “Fortress”, and the frat boys went crazy. So I guess all in all the show was a success.