By Jennifer Marie Dunn
The indie duo She & Him played as part of the Savannah Music Festival on March 28. The venue was the historic Trustees Theater. The band gave a well-rounded show that proved a far cry from saccharine or cutesy. It was a nice change of pace from much of indie music’s tendency to focus on doom and gloom. Despite the band’s often sorrowful lyrics, the music was juxtaposed against strong and catchy upbeat melodies.
The She of the duo, much hyphenated actress-singer-songwriter-musician Zooey Dechanel, wore stiff red ruffles. Her blue eyes peeked from behind a thick fringe of bangs as she pounded a tambourine. Her voice was clear and carried to the back of the venue.
The Him, M. Ward, is a musician-producer and founder of the indie super group Monsters of Folk. He shook out his head and rocked with his whole body. The pearl snaps on his shirt crouched protectively over his guitar.
Both of them were backed by a lively band during their first trip to the city. A leggy white-haired dude with a straw hat strummed acoustic, while the drummer rocked a fedora. A long-haired guy played bass as two sisters clad in vintage, slash-sleeved dresses jumped, clapped and occasionally brandished maracas.
However, their keen fashion and their folksy music could not save the night. By the end, it was the worst concert I’ve ever attended.
The music was great. Believe me, I’ve seen some crappy live bands in my time.
It wasn’t the venue either. Trustees is made for live music acoustics. I heard the B-52s managed to shake down the house back in the day.
It wasn’t even SCAD security, who protested dancing near the stage.
It was the crowd. The audience sat in their seats until the band left the stage. And I wasn’t the only one to notice. “Stay standing,” Deschanel, who had finally gotten the dour-faced crowd on their feet, cautioned before starting her encore.
Maybe I’m way off base, here. Maybe some bands enjoy playing to docile, lifeless crowds. Maybe audiences shouldn’t contribute to the overall energy of the show. Maybe these ideas are radical and alien to other concertgoers. I don’t think so, though. Neither did most of the women I spoke to after the show.
“This is why cool bands never come to Savannah,” said J. Charlotte Jarrett, 24, a graduate writing student from Orlando, Fla. “It must have sucked to play to an audience like that.”
Kudos to She & Him. They refused to lose their energy, despite the unenthusiastic crowd. However, a second trip to Savannah? Probably not anytime soon.
