The Mountain Goats And Chicago's Mutual Admiration

By Kim Bellware in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 7, 2011 9:40PM

It's a small mystery to us how, after The Mountain Goats' feel-good show at The Vic Tuesday night, John Darnielle didn't wind up with the whole audience going home with him. Darnielle is best known for his vivid and robust lyricism, which is easily his greatest strength and the likeliest reason behind the band's consistent wave of critical praise. Perhaps less well-known is Darnielle's surprising skills as a front man, able to disarm a crowd with his lyrics before simply charming the pants off them with his banter.

Whether you love or hate his voice (we actually fall into the latter category) Darnielle has developed into a tremendously engaging band leader who makes it easy to like his songs. What makes Darnielle as a front man so compelling isn't a confident swagger or lusty force, but a skittish self-deprecating nature and hopeless optimism--like an earnest nerd who dutifully tapes his glasses up knowing they'll only break again. His lyrics cover as many themes, with stories that champion the underdog or look for hope amid disappointment. At times it was all very reminiscent of Ben Folds, who, like the Mountain Goats, goes for broke in emotional honesty even if it's uncool--and in the process is cooler for doing so.

Darnielle played a mini solo set with energy and warmth despite being visibly nervous as he paced around the stage in bare feet. When he regrouped with Mountain Goats bassist Peter Hughes and Superchunk drummer Jon Wurster, he was a bit more at ease, generous and even giddy; he stopped several times to explain stories behind songs or introduce a special guest musician, like Silkworm's Tim Midgett (who enjoyed a nice multi-song arc with the Goats).

Since working with a more stable core of musicians, The Mountain Goats' sound has made strides, becoming sturdier and more directed. The band vaulted through old songs, covers and new material from the recent All Eternals Deck. "Woke Up New," "Damn These Vampires" and "You Were Cool" highlighted the fierce energy the band now harnesses so well, with Hughes and Wurster matching Darnielle's manic stage presence with steady, if not easy-going confidence.

One of the most popular Mountain Goats songs, "No Children," received roar of excited approval, perhaps only matched by a Chicago-centric rah-rah anthem. "This is for all the people who are going to take the Cubs to the promised land!" said Darnielle before launching into "Cubs In Five."

"Don't tell the others I played that for you," Darnielle pleaded with the crowd. "Write down "The Friend Catcher" by The Birthday Party."

If the audience didn't already love The Mountain Goats, they were sold by the last encore. Someone had shouted "I love you, Peter!" to the band's bassist early in the show. Hughes prescient response: "Chicago must be my town."

It would seem so.