Shearwater – The Crocodile – Seattle, WA – March 25, 2016 – Photo by Chris Sikich © 2016

Shearwater & Cross Record – The Crocodile – Seattle, WA – March 25, 2016

A trip to Seattle last week afforded me the ability to check out a venue I have always wanted to visit (The Crocodile) and one of my favorite bands who I have missed live for various reasons for a number of years (Shearwater). Last Friday this convergence was quite a spectacle, as a sold out crowd drank in Shearwater’s light theatrics and dramatic rock compositions.

Touring behind their 2016 politically minded Jet Plane and Oxbow, Shearwater delivered a dizzying two-set display. Opening with blackness punctuated with nothing but a light from a special glove, frontman Jonathan Meiburg delved into the opening track from Jet Plane, “Prime.”

Shearwater – The Crocodile – Seattle, WA – March 25, 2016 – Photo by Chris Sikich © 2016

From this stark opening, colorful light towers and the superb lighting capabilities of The Crocodile provided brilliant backdrops for the remaining songs. With only a few welcome hints of their back catalog, including “Rook” and “Seventy-Four, Seventy-Five,” the main set was propulsive with Meiburg and his five bandmates steering a tight ship.

The encore was a semi-surprise as they did the entirety of David Bowie’s album The Lodger, something they had done a few times on tour. Ambitious and fascinating, to hear songs like “Look Back in Anger” and “D.J.” in a live setting through the lens of an accomplished band like Shearwater was awesome to say the least.

Cross Record – The Crocodile – Seattle, WA – March 25, 2016 – Photo by Chris Sikich © 2016

The night began with a strong, haunting set from the duo of Cross Record. Resonating vocals mixed well with unique guitar chords and percussive moments for a fine beginning to quite a special musical night.

Chris Sikich

Copyright ©2016 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: March 10, 2016.

Photos by Chris Sikich © 2016