Minus the Bear and Cursive have been on tour for the past few months in support of their 2012 releases. Minus the Bear put out Infinity Overhead in August, while Cursive has been supporting I Am Gemini since February. The second leg of their tour is coming to a close but not before we had a chance to check out the show.
San Antonio's, Girl In a Coma, have been opening the show on this second leg of the tour. I didn't get to see much of their set, but they were energetic and fit for fans of Sleater-Kinney and Screaming Females. Up next were Cursive. They opened their set with I Am Gemini's, "This House Alive." They immediately jumped right into "Sierra" from their critically acclaimed, The Ugly Organ--at which point many attendees reacted with much excitement. I know I was excited. Often times, Kasher, will exaggerate the vocals--especially on older songs--but this was a pristine performance. Make no mistake though, he did do it later in the set. "Rise Up, Rise Up" made its way onto the setlist before another from their latest album, "Warmer, Warmer."
They decided to jump back to Domestica with "The Casualty." It's nice to see a band jump that far back into their catalog as a supporting band. I was pleased when I finally got to hear the band perform one of my favorites from, Mama, I'm Swollen--"Caveman." It was another one of the better performed songs from their set. They continue to promote I Am Gemini with one of its stronger tracks, "Drunken Birds." Cursive appease the fans in the crowd with "Art is Hard." The only downside was it was one of the songs where Kasher decided to overdo the vocals with a more guttural performance. After taking a shot, they go on with the show by playing the fast-paced "From the Hips." Of the songs they played, it seemed they enjoyed themselves most on this one. Maybe it was the shot or maybe they just love the song, haha. Either way, it was the most enjoyable moment of their set. Unfortunately, it was countered with one of their weaker songs, "The Sun and Moon." After playing The Ugly Organ's, "The Recluse," Kasher put his mic stand into the crowd--with himself following--and ended their set with fan-favorite, "Big Bang"with Kasher playing in the middle of the crowd.
After some time, Minus the Bear came out for their fastest selling show of the tour. Despite the many chances I've had to see Minus the Bear over the years, this was going to be my first time. Unfortunately, I wasn't too familiar with most of the material. However, it was great to hear a couple favorites of mine like, "The Game Needed Me" from Menos El Oso and "Absinth Party at The Fly Honey Warehouse," from Highly Refined Pirates. It was a bummer to notice not many people getting that into it. It was a Saturday night and the show was sold out. However, most of the crowd was standing around and hardly singing along. Minus the Bear put on a great show, but if that's how the fans are at their shows, I'd probably be more inclined to see them again in a venue with some seating. The tour is almost over, but if you're in the Northwest, you've still got a chance to catch it. It's a stacked line-up with some great musicians, so don't miss out.
