"The Bleeding Heart Show" must go on

Even the chillest of audiences can't hold the New Pornographers down

By Laura Leebove
Published: October 22nd, 2007 | 2:18pm

October 19, 2007, in Chicago — It's unfortunate when an audience can put a damper on a band's performance, like the one at the New Pornographers' second consecutive night at Chicago's Metro.

Despite the eight-person roster, including rarely touring members Neko Case and Dan Bejar, the crowd's excitement was shockingly under control — even at a sold-out show. During the majority of the set, the most action the band triggered was light head-bopping and singing along, rather than the dancing and shouting more common at a New Pornographers show.

Onstage, keyboardist-vocalist Kathryn Calder did the twist to cheesy elevator music with a shaker shaped like an orange, garnering little to no response from the audience. Seeing their indifference to Calder’s antics, it came as no surprise that grizzly frontman Carl “A.C.” Newman’s soon-after attempt to make everyone move didn’t help either. Even so, the band members kept their nonchalant, lax attitudes as they played in front of a marquee flashing the band's name in bright white lights.

Much of the dull response probably had to do with the Challengers-dominated set list, as it seemed that fans were still warming up to the album, released in August 2007 on Matador. It wasn't until the distorted bleeps of "Mass Romantic" halfway through the set that the crowd finally perked up from its catatonic state.

Seeing the group with Bejar and Case didn't quite take the show to the dramatically higher level I expected it would, but the vocal harmonies and rounds had more depth, especially in "Testament to Youth in Verse," "Jackie," and "The Bleeding Heart Show." But that's not to say the two didn't add to the performance. Bejar's curly, unkempt hair complemented his loopy and jaded demeanor, as he wandered on and offstage after almost every song. Case, dressed comfortably in gray skinny jeans and a Queen T-shirt over a long-sleeve thermal, owned the stage during "Mass Romantic" and "Letter From an Occupant," and turned on her charm when she warned the audience that she might forget the words to "Bones of an Idol."

Some of the new songs might not have animated the crowd, but at least most of them translated well to the live show. Near the start of the show, the twangy, Bejar-led "Myriad Harbour" was accented with half-spoken verses and Blaine Thurier's harmonica, and "Adventures in Solitude" featured a vocal duet by the uncle-niece duo of Newman and Calder. Even with Case present, 25-year-old Calder did more than hold her own on stage — though seeing as she's been in the band for more than two years now, it was insulting to hear someone yell, "I love you, keyboard girl!" But even though the crowd was less than enthused, the Pornos didn't let the lackluster audience ruin their game.

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Photos from the October 18, 2007, New Pornographers and Emma Pollock performances by Kirstie Shanley. View more photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/kirstiecat/sets/72157602581995100/