Cold War Kids - Live at the Wiltern

There are a handful of bands I vow to never miss when they come to town. Of course the Pumpkins are top of the list, and the Flaming Lips, and Notwist are on my list too. I think I need to add the Cold War Kids. They put on a great, energetic show.

Chris and I showed up to the Wiltern around 7:30 so we could get floor passes. Unfortunately there was already a line stretching around the block, so we hopped into Denny's which now serves beer! After taking our time there, we went inside just as the opening band was starting up, and we got a pretty cloes spot to the right of the stage. The lead singer from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah lead the first act, and I forget what they are called but they were ok. Most people were just waiting them out.

The Cold War Kids took the stage and dove right into there bluesey-jazzy-rock sound. Their lead singer, Nathan Willet, has a great vocal range and really brought the passion on stage. It seemed like all the band members could switch off between playing piano, guitar, and a number of hand instruments like tamborines and maracas. They were pretty versatile. The best songs of the night were Audience, Sermon, Santa Ana Winds, Hospital Beds, Hang Me Up to Dry , St. John, and We Used to Vacation. The latter was there closer which everyone sang along too. The show had a lot of energy from start to finish and the band was completely together. I can't wait to see them again.