Feist Names Her New Guitar "McCarren"

Last night was a beautiful night for an outdoor concert. Luckily enough, there was one going on at McCarren Park Pool in Brooklyn. In support of headliner Feist, Grizzly Bear and Kevin Drew/Broken Social Scene set the mood for a relaxed evening. Within a very short set, Grizzly Bear was able to produce enough sunshiny ambiance to prove why they’ve been getting so much attention over the past year. It’s a shame much of the crowd had yet to arrive due to such an early start time.

Following Grizzly Bear’s impressive performance, Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew brought songs from his new album, Spirit If, to life. It may not technically be a Broken Social Scene album, but the familiar sound is still there, and many of the regulars contribute. 2 of the core members, Brendan Canning and Justin Peroff were on stage to join Drew last night, for what was only their second time performing the new material to a live audience. While it was obvious that the band was still learning how to bring the material to a live setting, the looseness came off as a positive thing. At one point Drew even forgot lyrics to “Frightening Lives” and had to read them while performing the song. The band initially refused to play any older Broken Social Scene songs, sticking to Spirit If and one new one by Brendan Canning, but in the end they gave in and finished their set with “Superconnected” and an excellent Feist accompanied, sped-up version of “Major Label Debut.”

Following up Kevin Drew was no easy task, but his lovely girlfriend Feist handled it quite well. With the sun finally down, and the crowd finally looking more like a sellout, Feist took and stage and instantly made it her show. While her backing band did a fine job, it was all about her. While it may seem like Feist’s more loungey style of music may fit better in smaller clubs like Living Room, where she spent the earlier part of her career, she was able to rock out enough to make it all work. Her voice sounded incredible as she displayed an excellent range of style. As good as her music was, it was Feist’s excellent personality that really seemed to win everyone over. Her lovable interactions with the crowd gave the performance character. After displaying her brand new guitar, she asked the crowd for help with naming her new instrument. Throughout the set, paper airplanes, with prospective names, found their way to the stage. The one that stuck was McCarren.

…And that is how Feist’s latest guitar was named.

Grizzly Bear

Grizzly Bear

Kevin Drew

Brendan Canning

Feist

Feist

Photos courtesy of [Jonny-Leather]