I saw Wu Lyf on the 22nd of November at the Troubadour which was one of my least favorite venues. I had a couple experiences where it was so loud my ears were ringing for the days following. Walking into the Troubadour, I see people standing around chatting, so I go around some people so I can get closer. The Troubadour is already a very small venue, so no matter where you stand, you are typically pretty close to the band. A few minutes after I arrived, Crystal Antlers goes on. At first I sort of got a grunge feel but because the music was louder than the vocals and the lead singer had long-ish hair in his face with a plaid shirt. Crystal Antlers music was loud, but not piercing like the last show I had been to at the Troubadour. They were very good, I really liked their music. I knew one of their songs before going to the concert, Andrew, but they played one song that I really really loved and I have been desperate to find the name of. It was the third song they played, and I just remember loving it. During the break between Crystal Antlers and Wu Lyf, I saw two of the guys from Wu Lyf waving to the crowd from this balcony, where there was lots of curtains, but they weren't behind the curtains. Wu Lyf came on and sounded better than on the album! They were amazing! They said that since it was their last show in America they were going to try really hard to make it a good one, and they did. The lead singer, Ellery Roberts, his voice was so raspy, intricate, and unique in person. It almost didn't sound like a voice, I had never heard such vocal techniques. They not only played all of the songs on the album, but they also did a cover by one of my favorite bands, The Replacements! I was so excited when the bass player announced they were going to do Swingin Party. The bass player sung the song, and it sounded extremely similar to The Replacements; they did not put much of a twist on it, but I assume they weren't going for that. It was such a fun concert for me because the band and the audience fed off of each others energy really well. Their was crowd surfing and a mosh pit, and during their finale song, We Bros Ellery Roberts dove into the crowd! Their finale song of the night, We Bros, along with Dirt, Cave Song, and Summas Bliss were my favorite songs of the night. I liked how Ellery introduced all his band mates to the crowd because I thought it was seet. The reason I liked Wu Lyf's music a lot better in concert verse the recording of it was because the drum sound was much more prominent. Their drummer was amazing! He just really appeared to enjoy the moment. To be honest I am not sure what it was about him, I just thought that the sound he was making from the drums was very good. If I knew how to play drums, I am sure I would be able to articulate it better so sorry for that. At the end of the concert, I bought a T Shirt and one of the members from Crystal Antlers was behind the counter, I am not really sure what he was doing but he was wearing a Black Flag T-shirt which I thought was cool because I like some of Black Flag's stuff. I heard prior to the concert from a couple people that Wu Lyf was really hit or miss as a live act, but for me they were a hit, a huge hit, so I guess the part of them being a potential miss is irrelevant. I rate it 10/10!
