Concert Recap: The Boxer Rebellion @ House of Blues Parish Room – 4/13/12

There’s always a bit of hesitation on my part to see a show up in the House of Blues Parish Room. No, it’s not the venue itself, but the emotional bias I have for it. You see, I was actually married on that stage, on which I had seen so many awesome shows. Will I still have that passion of past shows and will they ever live up the excitement of being on that stage myself. The answer to the first is “Yes,” but I don’t think anything will ever beat that feeling, not to say The Boxer Rebellion didn’t give that notion a run for its money.

The Boxer Rebellion is an international indie band formed in London, around 2001, consisting of Tennessee-native Nathan Nicholson (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Australian Todd Howe (lead guitar), and Englishmen Adam Harrison (bass guitar), and Piers Hewitt (drums). Since forming over a decade, they’ve released several EPs and three studio albums: Exits (2005), Union (2009) and The Cold Still (2011).
Their big break came when they were prominently featured in the Drew Barrymore/Justin Long romantic comedy Going the Distance.

On Friday night, Boxer Rebellion performed “Evacuate” and “Spitting Fire” from Union, as well as an original song, “If You Run,” which was written specifically for the aforementioned film’s finale.

Canon Blue had the daunting task of opening the show. The small audience stood scattered throughout the club, never giving the band the attention they deserved. A little known fact stated by lead singer Daniel James was that Canon Blue got their start in New Orleans and the front man remarked that he wrote their first songs in a house off Banks Street.

Canon Blue’s music is an experiment of indie sounds blended with folk, dance, and electronic beats. Slated to play 45 minutes, the band exited the stage 30 minutes later, through no fault of their own. It was just time to leave the stage, acknowledging who the audience was there to see and thanking them graciously for the chance to tour.

I’ve been waiting to see The Boxer Rebellion for over 3 years and have counted myself a fan since well before Going the Distance. Union was in my top ten albums of 2009. The set was well rounded, comprising material from all three releases (most notably “If You Run”) as well as two new tracks*. I was mesmerized the whole show, the set was flawless and ended with my all time favorite Boxer Rebellion tune. On Friday night, the headliners managed to keep my faith in one of my all time favorite venues.

SETLIST:

Step Out of the Car
Locked In the Basement
Flashing Red Light Means Go
Caught by the Light
These Walls Are Thin
If You Run
Evacuate
Promises*
Memo
Both Sides Are Even
Spitting Fire
The Runner
We Have This Place Surrounded
Semi-Automatic

ENCORE
Dream*
No Harm
The Gospel of Goro Adachi