Manchester Orchestra brought their unique brand of indie rock to the afternoon on day two of Riot Fest 2024. Douglass Park was set ablaze by not only the temperatures but also the energy from the crowd as they recognized and recited song after song during the twelve-track set. Despite the heat, the guys were top form, and we couldn’t have had a more entrancing experience.
Setlist Top Notch Choose You Girl Harbor The Mansion The Ocean Every Stone All That I Really Wanted Trees Indentions See It Again Cope The Silence
Songs to resonate with you on heavy days, to remind you you’re not alone. With many artists coming from the gray sky capital of the world, my musical hometown, Seattle. Shoutout to some of my local favorites and friends, “Lemolo”, “Abby Gundersen”, “Deep Sea Diver”, “Racoma”, “Temple Canyon” and more…
The creatively titled ‘EG’ playlist is a mix of some of my all-time favorites as well as artists and songs that were instrumental in shaping ‘Conversation’.
-Jim Ford, Bill Withers, Neil Young, Al Green
‘Still Bill’, ‘Harvest’, ‘Gets Next to You’ and ‘Harlan County’ were four records that I immersed myself in as I writing ‘Conversation’. I’d sit down with each, learn some of the music and write out all of the lyrics. My producer, Eddie Spear, introduced me to Jim Ford and now I’ll pay that knowledge drop forward.
-Jason Isbell, Bob Dylan
In my opinion, Dylan is the best songwriter of all time and Isbell is the best of my generation. These guys have set a high bar and I continually look to them as I work on my craft.
-‘Truly, Madly Deeply’, ‘No Hard Feelings’
I always love when an artist finds a way to make a cover song sound like their own. I’m a big Manchester Orchestra fan and I came to find Yoke Lore after ‘Truly, Madly, Deeply’ popped up on a Spotify feed.
– Coldplay, Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Smashing Pumpkins
These are some of my favorite bands of all time and artists that helped shape me as a young musician. I put a few songs on here that I’ve had in heavy rotation recently.
– Natalie Royal, The Delta Saints, Brendan Benson, James Droll, Elise Davis
Nashville artists! I like to get out to shows when I’m in town and there is no shortage of talent in Music City. Here’s a handful of artists that I’d encourage anyone to acclimate themselves with if they don’t know them already.
On September 29th, Manchester Orchestra’s tour in support of their latest release, A Black Mile To The Surface, took over New York City’s Terminal 5. Establishing a wide fanbase throughout the years, Manchester fans had been waiting for this show since its first announcement.
Accordingly, the crowd arrived early, a beeline of people streaming into the front. Not only was this the perfect tactic to score the best seats for Manchester, but both Tigers Jaw and Foxing are well-known and beloved bands in their own right; most of the fans already loved all three and eagerly anticipated each performance.
Foxing kicked off the show with dim, moody lighting to set the tone. Singing out to the audience and moving about the entire length of the stage, singer Conor Murphy rounded out the set with a slightly darker depth that was absent within the other two. There were only cheers when he played the trumpet; the crowd was fixated.
Tigers Jaw amped up the energy as the lights snapped on. Jumping up and down to buoyant pop-rock, emo tunes off their latest release, Spin, Tigers Jaw was more than cheerful. They were truly happy to be there, and in turn, the audience responded. There was singing, dancing, and jumping; Tigers Jaw delivered.
Lastly, Manchester finished out the night. As they walked out to very little lighting, the crowd roared. And as the lights rose, so did the voices, an entire venue of approximately 3,000 people singing and screaming with emotion. Manchester’s performance was like no other; their enormous experience cultivated throughout the years was self-evident as they flawlessly sang and played. They lifted the audience up at some points and brought them down for others. It was a rollercoaster of a ride, one in which everyone excitedly leapt on and reluctantly got off at the end—and only because they had to.
