21 April 2023 (gig)
25 April 2023
After ten long years, The Walkmen made their live return at the United Theater in Westerly, a sleepy Rhode Island resort town in a warmup performance before embarking on their near sold-out World tour this summer. The full house may have been sporting a few extra grey hairs since the last performance but it was a joyous reunion of band and fans.
The United Theater has a real community feel and even served free soft drinks and popcorn to designated drivers. A great idea and such a simple thing to do. The local cop even thanked my designated driver!
The set was like a warm comforting stroll through a back catalogue of wonderfully varying songs. The band strolled on and built to a crescendo with 'They’re Winning' before launching straight into 'The Rat', let the singalong begin with the crowd as one. Hamilton Leithauser has only got better with time, the solo years just wonderful, but he looked relaxed and happy to be back on stage with his old bandmates.
The band appeared as if they had never been apart, effortlessly swapping instruments after every song. They delivered a precision perfect performance and well-balanced sound, while the lively drummer kept it all together. Hamilton reminisced about their early days as he introduced some of their oldest songs.
I loved the keyboard heavy tracks as they resonated with Hamilton’s amazing voice hitting all the notes as if they were his last. Crowd-pleasers 'Angela Surf City' and 'In The New Year' fired up the crowd along through the evening with the main show ending with the more calming 'Heaven'.
The encore kept to a gentler pace, Hamilton reminding us of the time that had passed talking about his daughter busy on her iphone rather than watching the encore. The final songs felt like a goodnight embrace ending on 'We’ve Been Had' with Hamilton jumping down to personally wish us all a goodnight - the same way he left it the last time I saw them in New York all those years ago.
The Walkmen’s variety, musicianship and Hamilton’s vocals make them an easy recommendation. Time has not diminished them – go see them, if you can!
