Kicking off their fall U.S. tour, Real Estate took the stage last Thursday night to a decent crowd at the Jefferson Theater. The show was not outstanding in any manner — neither mind-expanding in greatness nor poor enough to warrant an early departure.
Given the rainy night on which the concert was held, the music was a pleasant pick-me-up and perhaps just the quiet start fall break needed. Indeed, as several people in the crowd remarked in some fashion or another, the show was the definition of easy listening. Throughout the night, the music didn’t become so catchy or playful as to move bodies into anything more than a sway.
Still, there certainly was not much to complain about. It seems fitting that the volume was at such a relatively low level, a rarity in the modern music scene. Real Estate’s recorded material is a notch catchier than their live performance, but Thursday evening offered a relaxing atmosphere and melodic tunes perfect for the mid-semester doldrums.
Opener EZTV, whose album was released the day after the show, was a solid band to warm up the crowd. They were friendly and unassuming, and equally excited to hear Real Estate play. In fact, it was their lead singer Ezra Tenenbaum’s first time hearing Real Estate live.
Individually, EZTV would have delivered nearly the exact experience offered by the headliner, but taken together, the two bands felt repetitive. Indeed, had it not been for the intermission between the two, their live sets would have sounded almost indistinguishable. The methodology behind picking an opener must be complex, and perhaps even political given record labels’ increasing purview. However, the choice to include EZTV on the ticket of such a similar candidate is questionable. Both bands carried considerable weight, but together their sheen undoubtedly faded.
The concert did have its peaks. Real Estate played its two formulaic-but-fun hits, “Talking Backwards” and “It’s Real.” Both songs pushed an energy into the crowd’s hips unmatched during the rest of the set. The crowd got a chance to perform a little for the band too — audience members sang a belated “Happy Birthday” to frontman Martin Courtney, who had turned 31 the previous night.
The last song of the set — before the encore, that is — broke into a four- or five-minute jam session, which definitely added some much-needed funk to the otherwise flat indie-pop. Though it’s hard to believe Real Estate is anyone’s favorite band, they offer their fair share of melodic tunes which stay in your head, even if for just a moment.
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