Spoon played Central Park's SummerStage

One of America's greatest indie music outputs of the last twenty-five years, Spoon, played to a jam-packed Central Park SummerStage with an opening set from Ratboys.

After being too late to catch Brooklyn’s own Bodega, I was pumped to see the full opening set from Chicago’s Ratboys. Starting off with the three best tracks from their newest album (and one of my favorites of the year so far), their set was a perfect blend of alt-country and power-pop that has them sealing their fate as one of the most exciting up and coming bands of the moment. "Open Up" was of course a fitting starter, making for a great beginning to the record and their live show as well. "Anywhere" burst with flowing rhythms and "Penny in the Lake" instantly put them over the edge confirming their spot as one of the year's most rewarding bands. Pedal steel guitar supplied extra twang that gave their songs awesome texture while some awesome guitar shredding happened as well making for the perfect set up for what was to follow.

Interjecting with “I love New York in the summer time and I love free shows. This is good business,” Britt Daniels spoke to an amped-up crowd after the band kicked-off their set with a killer onslaught of some mighty tunes. The piano intro to"You Got Yr Cherry Bomb," ripping guitar in "The Hardest Cut," and the stomping rhythm of "I Turn My Camera On" electrified the crowd as the sun began to set and make for an ideal summer evening in Central Park. The wondrous opening slowly built momentum as the excitement from each track piled up as hit after hit made for a tidal wave of a beginning to the night. Electric keys supported solid guitar lines that had the packed crowd cheering and clapping along with glowing euphoria as Daniels and company sliced up these tracks with a wild fervor and emphatic bursts of power that gave these typically poppy numbers a bit of an edge to match the melting summer heat. For "My Mathematical Mind," a number Daniels confirmed he was excited to be playing at the moment, the band expanded their sound to its richest format of the show, everyone digging deep on stage to unleash a squall of raw, ragged rock and roll that stretched on with great, muscular form that saw the band hitting their musical peak of the performance. When the band hit us with “The Way We Get Bye” the crowd erupted once again and this time in full force, fully enraptured as the band’s constant hits made the night come alive with splendid bursts of energy. Daniels brought Hamilton Leithauser to the stage to join in on “Do You” and “Bony Maronie” for another fun surprise before pulling out a stripped down cover of Bowie’s magnificent “I Can’t Give Everything Away.” As the night progressed, “Inside Out” proved to be another momentous song of the night, everyone swaying in blissed-out joy while the band serenaded us with their pristine and perfected sound. “Rent I Pay” transitioned seamlessly into “Wild,” a song I thought was underrated in the band's fantastic discography, but that did not seem to be the case based on the crowd's reaction and the endless boogieing that followed as they capped off their main set, leaving the crowd in a daze of pure delight as we danced away in the breeze. Coming back to the stage to deliver the triumph of the night, “The Underdog,” was met with the expected and rightfully deserved swell of cheers as everyone gave their last bit of gusto to make this one really count. As one of the premiere American indie rock bands of the twenty-first century, Spoon set out on a mission to show exactly why they’ve earned that reputation and this greatest hits filled show proved to be a resounding success and a true accomplishment from a band that's been going strong for decades and seems to have no signs of slowing down.

Set list:

01 "Take a Walk"
02 "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb"
03 "The Hardest Cut"
04 "I Turn My Camera On"
05 "My Mathematical Mind"
06 "The Way We Get By"
07 "Who Makes Your Money"
08 "Do You" [with Hamilton Leithauser]
09 "Bony Moronie" [Larry Williams cover[ (with Hamilton Leithauser)
10 "I Can't Give Everything Away" [David Bowie cover]
11 "I Summon You"
12 "Out Go the Lights"
13 "Inside Out"
14 "Lose Control"
15 "Rent I Pay"
16 "Wild"
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17 "The Underdog"
18 "Trouble Comes Running"
19 "Black Like Me"
20 "Got Nuffin"