Story by James Crowl | Cover photo by Molly Chapple | Seeds Entertainment
Who said you need lyrics to make good music? Probably a degenerate. Either that, or someone who clearly has never listened to the enthralling and climactic musical stylings of Explosions in the Sky. Completely forgoing the use of vocals in all their songs, Explosions in the Sky create songs that can only be compared to climbing a mountain: a slow, gradual ascent topped off with a magnificent climax when reaching the top. Boasting a reputation for energetic live shows, Explosions in the Sky brought their post-rock stylings to the Bourbon Friday night and entertained a sold out crowd.
Despite competing with the likes of Bassnectar for audience attendance, Explosions in the Sky sold out nearly five hours before the show, with desperate fans loitering outside trying to buy tickets from scalpers. The show opened up with Eli Mardock, a mellow indie band similar to Kurt Vile, except with more of an electronic feel thanks to the ensemble’s stellar keyboardist. Mardock played six songs to start off the night to an already jam packed venue, and judging by the audiences reaction, perhaps Mardock will foster more attendance at their own future headlining shows.
After Mardock exited the stage Explosions in the Sky came out to thunderous applause. With technical difficulties surrounding the onstage mics, guitarist Munaf Rayani hushed the crowd to a calm silence, shouting, “this is the first of four nights for us, so go easy on us.” After that, Rayani and his band mates kicked things off with their signature style, lulling the audience into a gentle piece before entering the breakdown, sending everyone in the crowd into a frenzy. Perhaps one of the most compelling songs of the night was “Postcard from 1952”, highlighting the most energetic moment of the night.
After an hour long set with a sweat drenched audience, Explosions in the Sky left the stage to more thunderous applause, however this time leaving the audience with a feeling of remorse for the ending of such a spectacular performance. While Explosions in the Sky may have lacked the overwhelming marketing campaign of Bassnectar, they without a doubt left their mark on Lincoln Nebraska, having performed one of the best shows anyone is likely to see in a long while.
