When I arrived solo at the High Noon Saloon on Wednesday night, a midweek slump had the best of my tired mindset. On one hand, I was stoked to see the talented indie rock acts mewithoutYou and Into It. Over It. perform, and on the other, I was nervous that their beautifully poignant music might shred my defenseless heart to ribbons. The night turned out to be a 10/10 experience as mewithoutYou deluged their souls into a heartwarmingly cathartic set.
Both openers, Needle Point and Into It. Over It., were superb. I didn’t know what to anticipate from Needle Point. Their performance was a trippy, psychedelic vision of friendly folks playing ‘60s/’70s-esque tribal rock; all smiles and scintillation. Into It. Over it. were a tasteful counterpart to Needle Points’ electric vibes. Wednesday was IIOI’s third show in town this year, but they still pulled out all the stops to make this show memorable. Frontman Evan Weiss, an exec of the emo genre, wrecked my soul as expected.
A large backdrop of mewithoutYou’s album Pale Horses and the same image bordered by string lights on their drum head were the band’s only flourishments when they finally took the stage. Their personal attire was inconspicuous: worn-in flannels and hoodies all around. For such an unassuming looking group of dudes, the Philadelphia five-piece held the audience in complete captivation from the get-go. Frontman Aaron Weiss was a particular sight to behold; in conjunction with vocals, he bounced around playing guitar, maracas, sleigh bells and keyboard accordion in turn.
They’re probably the least pretentious musicians I’ve ever seen. Since they habitually post their sets on Twitter afterwards, and these always vary, I can say with certainty that mewithoutYou treats each city to individualized shows. They began with "Red Cow" and from there played songs from all 15 years of their collection, including “Tie Me Up! Untie Me!,” “Messes of Men” and “Mexican War Streets.” I felt privy to a special moment during “D-Minor” when frontman Aaron Weiss looked a few fans right in their eyes, and we all sang in unison, “Won’t you help me get by?”
It didn’t take long for Weiss to pause his performance and let us in on a secret: something tragic just went down in their personal lives and it was on their minds as they performed. With grace, he acknowledged its weight on their stage presence and continued on. A portion of the songs left were raucous and angry (what some might call “shouty” music), others were more subdued and all were achingly intimate. I looked around the packed venue and thought acutely that everyone there must be going through some challenge of their own.
mewithoutYou’s impassioned performance reminded me that when misfortune looms heavy, it’s best not to ignore it. There’s a bit of catharsis in acknowledgement, and even more so in expression.
