last night's gig

Wolf Parade Show Is a Tremendous Relief

Dan Boeckner, holding it in.Photo: Erika Goldring/Retna


Ever wonder what you’d do if, while performing music in front of a large crowd, you suddenly needed to go to the bathroom? (Someone other than Fergie, please raise your hand.) At Warsaw last night, Wolf Parade guitarist Dante DeCaro quietly removed his guitar and slunk offstage, hoping no one would notice. “This is the part of the show where Dante has to go pee,” keyboardist Spencer Krug explained. The band commenced a sort of humming, low-frequency background noise with their instruments; we wondered whether it was intended to facilitate a more involved bodily process, but DeCaro emerged quickly, greeted with the kind of roar only a rock star commands after finishing his wee-wee.

It’s been a while since the band visited these parts, and the audience was eager for them to do just about anything — including play new songs. And Wolf Parade did: We glanced at a set list that included shorthand titles like “Billy J,” “Shins,” “Costello,” and “Stevie.” The new batch of tunes had the band wandering through more complex arrangements, with wickedly fast drumbeats ushering in dramatic crescendos. Truly, it was a night of tension and release. —Michael D. Ayers

Wolf Parade Show Is a Tremendous Relief