[Headlights at Urban Outfitters in Champaign, Ill. on 8/29/08, as one of four Pygmalion Music Festival pre-parties.]
Click the jump for a bunch of photos, a video and a review of the show!
There’s something that’s both fitting and bizarre about watching a band play in Urban Outfitters. Given the hippie-heroin-grunge-chic breadth of clothing the store offers, its musically inclined interests come naturally, as seen in their support of hip “indie rock” bands they continually blast through the speakers and that whole partnership with Nylon magazine. But, even as somebody who loves the store and is currently typing this review while wearing a frock of theirs, Urban Outfitters’ atmosphere is a bit forced and, at its core, a corporation. (Example: I nervously filmed a song, convinced that a collegiate employee would yell at me for it.)
Regardless, the show started a few minutes late, which meant that instead of waiting around confusedly and trying not to stare at people, you could instead mill around, looking at tiny bottles of perfume and mirrored jewelry boxes while waiting around confusedly and trying not to stare at people, which was mildly entertaining but insanely unusual.
Headlights were great, but aren’t they always? I can’t remember seeing them and ever being disappointed; performing consistently is, in my opinion, one of the best palarts of seeing them live. On top of that, it was hard not to notice how happy they looked. Erin Fein and Nick Sanborn were grinning the entire performance, which is more than a good thing, considering the amount of inferably stressful overseas touring they’re about to do.
There’s two more happy hour shows in the heart of campus at Urban Outfitters, so make sure to stop by the next two Fridays to enjoy Tall Tale and World’s First Flying Machine as they pump us all up for Pygmalion’s rapidly approaching (ahhh!!) start date.
Video:
Headlights performing at Urban Outfitters, 8/29/08
[Note: Video kinda blurry? Tell me about it. View the video here, and make sure that you're watching "in high quality," an option in blue text directly below the video.]
haha that’s so bizarre looking, but the sound seems pretty good. It’s also good to know that sparkle tanks are 2 for $20
wonderful, I can see the back of my head in some of these.
I was there too, and I always want a cleaner mix of the vocals. They get kind of muffled by everything else, and the great melody/counter-melody/harmonies thing is what makes Headlights…well, rad. But, whatev. Free shows are awesome.