WATCH: Andrew Bird Explains Inspiration For Winter Church Concerts

By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Jan 28, 2013 5:20PM

Andrew Bird’s concerts at Fourth Presbyterian Church have become as sure a sign of winter in Chicago as the Christkindlmarket, Chicago Bears talk lasting well after the season has ended, and dibs. In this video from online magazine Crave TV, Bird explains the inspiration behind these shows in Chicago and New York City.

Bird reveals the inspiration behind the shows was his participating in community sing-alongs of Handel’s Messiah as a child in a church like Fourth Presbyterian: ”Dark and Gothic and warm. So I have these fond memories of the music and the environment and I wanted to do my own version.”

“This is a dark, cold time of year. Let’s do something warm,” Bird added.

The complete video is a look into Bird's creative process as he explains how he uses the concerts to work out song ideas in front of a live audience and how he tailors his performances to the acoustics of the churches.