aaamusic | On 19, Nov 2011

Rome, 17/11/2011

Fleet Foxes gave un unforgettable night to the crowd who filled the venue, I experienced two hours of pure cosmic peace.
The band showcased their sophomore album, “Helplessness blues“, 
Their American soul was clearly showed when you hear their voices harmonized, the gospel legacy doesn’t lie, they were so perfect that it was like hearing a choir of angels, and I’m not exaggerating, it was like a natural dolby surround. Fleet Foxes are a real band, in the sense that they are like a pack, none of them can stand alone, even the lead singer, whose vocals are at the same time tinkling and smooth, when performs together with his mates is like he’s melted with them.
Nevertheless I’d like to point out that one the highest moments of their gig, was Robin’ solo on I let you, the first encore. That was a brand new song, a bit naive, but intense, like only a Fleet Foxes song can be. He creates a kind of magic making the crowd speechless and focused only on his persona, lit up only by a soft spot light.
The other three songs who completed the encore were Sun it rises, Blue Ridge Mountain and Helplessness Blues, a great choice to end the gig, it’s the one that makes you smile and you don’t know why, just because you feel your heart in peace.
That’s exactly how Fleet Foxes music makes you feel, in peace with yourself.
Musically speaking, every member of this fabulous band is multi-instrumentalist and in particular Morgan Henderson deserves a praise, I saw him playing guitar, tambourine (and not like common people usually play it!) flute, double-bass, violin and saxophone, six intruments so different and so hard to learn, and he could play them all with a mastery I have rarely seen before.
The setlist alternates tunes from the first album and new ones, creating a perfect balance, and making me realized that they had so much beuatiful songs in only two albums, the confirmation that they are a great band. Mykonos was really touching, there’s a moment when their voices intertwined sing a capella, I felt shivers, and I could hear astonished comments by people around me, they didn’t expect they were so perfect performing live.
And what can I say abour White Winter Hymnal? It’s a masterpiece of music refinement, and played live they can preserve the same kind of frailty you find in the studio version balancing vocals with a sweet arrangement.
The acoustic was good and do justice to the ensemble, so I came back home completely satisfied and joyful for the beatiful show unfortunately already ended.

Author: Roberta Capuano

Photos: Marcello Linzalone