It’s always a treat for the mind and the senses when Jason Pierce brings Spiritualized to town and last Saturday at The Gothic was no different. Billed as “an evening with,” the room filled up with eager fans of all ages early and to my surprise Pierce and the band took the stage promptly at 9pm.
To open the show, Pierce offered up a spartan snippet of “Hold On” that preached “hold on to those you hold dear” and then the band whirled into the stunning “Come Together” that showcased pounding drums, searing guitar riffs, soaring gospel vocals, and the sonic power that Spiritualized is known for. The Ladies and Gentlemen track is a fan favorite and allowed the crowd to welcome the band with hands raised high in the air as heads bobbed in unison and people allowed themselves to be consumed by the music that was coursing around them.
As I wandered the crowded room, looking for opportunities to snap a shot of Pierce and the band, they eased into “Shine A Light” which started slow and mesmerizing, but built to a glorious peak that was highlighted by the amazing background singers and Doggen Foster’s swirling guitar. “Stay with Me” followed this same formula as the song again built to a peak that wow’d the crowd with a wall of sound punctuated by the gospel infused vocals.
After dropping “Soul On Fire,” Pierce busted into a version of “She Kissed Me (and It Felt Like A Hit)” from 2003’s Amazing Grace that proved to be a personal highlight of the show and clearly demonstrated that Spiritualized is, at their core, a Rock and Roll band. Fists pumped as the crowd sang back at the stage and lights dazzled as they played over the tightly packed floor.
“Broken Heart” followed and brought things back down to Earth for a minute or two before the band took us back up to the clouds with heavenly singing.
It was at this point in the night that a series of dots and dashes resembling the Morse Code found on the cover of And Nothing Hurt appeared on the screen behind the band and Pierce broke into the album’s lead track, “A Perfect Miracle.” Those who had been following the tour knew that this signified the beginning of a full performance of the album, track for track, and we settled in for the ride.
While some people I talked to didn’t love the fact that Pierce chose to deliver his new record in it’s entirety, I thought it was a great way to expose the crowd to the material. There is something about an artist putting their art on display on their own terms and, frankly, I was a little jealous of a friend I was with who was getting to hear the entire album for the first time performed live by the band. I mean, is there a better way to be introduced to a new album?
After the full performance of And Nothing Hurt, the band disappeared backstage only to return a few minutes later for a three song encore that took us from “So Long You Pretty Thing” into “Out of Sight” and finally a tender cover of the Gospel standard, “Oh Happy Day” that morphed into a reprise of the show opening “Hold On” and with that Pierce waved good night.
As I said up front, it’s always a treat to see Spiritualized but this show carried an emotional gravity that I’m not sure I had experienced before. Some of the darker lyrics rang through clearly and, coupled with the swirling guitars and soaring harmonies, created a psychedelic Gospel sound that converted me from casual fan who tagged along to shows with friends to one who has been playing full albums at home over the last few days. Spiritualized can be a slow burn and given the fact that I first saw them live around 17 years ago, I guess it’s finally time I came around.
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