By Margaret Price
For anyone who was fortunate enough to see Bear in Heaven at the Earl on March 11, 2010, the band that took the same stage on April 27, 2012, just two short years later and now playing to a sold out audience , had clearly grown into their own. The once-mustachioed lead singer, Jon Philpot, an Atlanta (or, more specifically, Marietta) native seemed confident, collected, displaying more finesse in his androgynous, pseudo-falsetto vocals and enigmatic stage presence. Performing a set mainly composed of tracks from their critically acclaimed third full-length album, I Love You, It’s Cool, the band did pepper in songs from their 2009 release Beast Rest Forth Mouth as the show progressed.
After about a minute’s worth of rhythmic drumming, the band was suddenly silent, a slight technical difficulty halting their performance. But the crowd, ever enthused and supportive of their (once) hometown band, wasn’t fazed in the slightest, and Philpot was all smiles. A few minutes of casual chitchat later and the set officially launched into the shimmering psychedelia of “Idle Heart,” the opening track off of their newest album, followed by the pulsating, trance-inducing sensualism of “You Do You” off of their second full-length. Highlights from the new album included “Warm Water,” a song that sounded even more textured and intricate live, and “Kiss Me Crazy,” which they dedicated to a recently married couple in the crowd who met at their show in 2010, while they drew from their full catalogue on “Lovesick Teenagers” and “Ultimate Satisfaction.”
While there were no real set list surprises, Bear in Heaven’s performance was transcendental and almost other-worldly. For the encore, they closed with their explosive, synth-ridden cover of Lindstrøm & Christabelle’s disco hit “Lovesick,” and the crowd erupted into a frenzy, a perfect ending for a band finally finding themselves back at home.
- Idle Heart
- You Do You
- Sinful Nature
- Warm Water
- Cool Light
- The Reflection of You
- Space Remains
- Lovesick Teenagers
- Noon Moon
- Ultimate Satisfaction
- Kiss Me Crazy
- World of Freakout
- Lovesick
