[ATTENDED: February 18, 2022] Pinegrove
This is my fourth time seeing Pinegrove. I have a sweet fondness for this band. They were my first (and only) show at the First Unitarian Church–a show that was so vibrant and alive that I remember it very well even five years later.
Their shows don’t have a lot “going on,” just a lot of good music and a band that sounds better and better.
This new tour is in support of their new album 11:11. I didn’t like this album as much as their previous collections–the songs were a little too slow for my liking (although there are some terrific songs on it). They played the entire album (not in order) which might seem like a bummer given how I wasn’t crazy about the album
But instead, the band sounded so good, so dynamic, that it made me like the new songs far more than I did. Perhaps it was the way they were spaced out. Or maybe it was mixing older songs with the new ones. Whatever the case, it made the new songs sound fantastic.
They opened with “Alaska,” which was a great choice. The song rocks and the audience was ready to sing along. The continued with 11:11 by playing “Cyclone” and I was struck by how great their harmonies sounded and how great Sam Skinner’s guitar work is. There were times when all four members of the band sang backing oohs and ahhs and it sounded heavenly.
“Intrepid” received a warm welcome, but the first big roar came from “Problems” which they really rocked out. I note that they have played it every time I’ve seen them, even though it was the first time they played it on this tour.
It felt like the new songs that I liked best were the ones that others responded to as well (that’s not typical for me). I thought that “Orange” was well received. That song is quite political–a surprise for a band that is usually introspective. Evan talked about the need to go outside of the two party system when looking for results on things like environmental change.
I try to warn my senator
He said that he invented it
And that I should feel happy
He talked to me at all
I try to down the bluest pill
The author of the fucking bill
Bragging on YouTube, the criminals he’ll kill
“I thought “Respirate” sounded fantastic, too. The band really rocked out the changes a lot more than on the record. I also really like “Iodine” and enjoyed the way they stretched that song out a bit.
When I saw them last time, Joshua F. Marré played pedal steel guitar a lot. It was a cool sound an a nice accompaniment, but it brought a very different vibe. Without it, the band was able to rock a bit more with Marré and Skinner playing lead guitar off of each other’s lines. It also felt like bassist Megan Benavente was having a lot more fun. She interacted a bit more with the audience and (while this is purely my imagination) I felt like her bass sounded louder and more impactful. And again, her harmonies were perfect.
I wasn’t able to get any good picture of drummer Zack Levine. But it would be impossible to get a picture of him that demonstrated how hard he hits the drums. It was really quite impressive and the percussive quality was powerful.
After six new songs in a row, the crowd went bananas for “Angelina.” This song is a favorite of mine too, and since it’s not even two minutes long, you can squeeze it in anywhere for a good roar from the crowd.
It’s the second half of the new record that drags a bit, but again, I thought they breathed a lot of life into “So What” and “Swimming”
The one major downside, of course, to playing all of your new songs is that there’s precious few older songs to squeeze into the set–the ones that everyone wants to sing along to.
The last five songs were old favorites (but not “Old Friends”). Indeed, it was something of a surprise that they only played two songs from their debut. When I saw them back in 2017, that’s all they had out, so they played the whole thing and everyone knew the words to every song. It strikes me as even more of a surprise that “New Friends” was played for the first time on this tour at our show. I assumed it was pretty much their signature song, but I see I’ve only seen it twice.
Interestingly, Evan sang the wrong verse in the beginning and they had to start over. He said that those old songs tend to get a little lost. Although not for the fans who screamed along super loud all the way through.
Even though that seemed like the logical show ender, they gave us one more: “Size of the Moon,” another song they’ve played every time I’ve seen them. It’s a great song and a crowd favorite.
I wasn’t sure if I needed to see them again for a fourth time. But this show felt so different (even though it wasn’t really all that different from the previous one). I’m really glad I went. And I’d consider seeing them again (although not on March 1st, because I don’t need to see them twice in two weeks).
I love that they bring two opening bands with them–usually friends and bands who can benefit from the support. But they should consider stretching their set out to more like 115 minutes–throw a few more of those short old songs in there for the rabid fan base.
| Union Transfer, Feb 2022 | Union Transfer, Sept 2019 |
| Alaska € | Darkness § (2) |
| Cyclone € | Moment** |
| Intrepid § (3) | Cadmium * (3) |
| Flora € | Intrepid § (2) |
| Problems ϖ (4) (tour debut) | The Metronome ⊕ (3) |
| Rings § (3) | Rings § (2) |
| Orange € | Portal § (2) |
| Let € | Need 2 ϖ (2) |
| 11th Hour € | Problems ϖ (3) |
| Respirate € | Hair Pin** |
| Habitat € | Easy Enough § (3) |
| Iodine € | Size of the Moon * (3) |
| Angelina § (4) | Skylight § (2) |
| So What € | The Alarmist** |
| Dotted Line ** | Angelina § (3) |
| Swimming € | Amulets § (2) |
| Moment ** (2) | Light On § (2) |
| Darkness § (3) | Endless** |
| Endless ** (2) | Old Friends* (3) |
| New Friends * (2) [tour debut] | Aphasia* (3) |
| Size of the Moon * (4) |
| House of Independents, March 2019 | First Unitarian Church, 2017 |
| Cadmium * (2) | Old Friends * |
| Problems ϖ (2) | Aphasia * |
| Rings § | Visiting * |
| Portal § | Over My Shoulder ⊕ [1] |
| Intrepid § | V ± |
| The Metronome ⊕ (2) | Waveform * [1] |
| Size of the Moon * (2) | Angelina § |
| V ± (2) | Easy Enough § |
| Thanksgiving § | Cadmium * |
| Easy Enough § (2) | Size of the Moon * |
| Amulets § | Paterson + Leo § [1] |
| Light On § | Problems ϖ |
| Angelina § (2) | Need 2 ϖ |
| & ± | The Metronome ⊕ |
| Old Friends * (2) | Recycling ⊕ [1] |
| Aphasia * (2) | New Friends * |
| Visiting * (2) | |
| Darkness § | |
| Skylight § | |
| Then Again * | |
| New Friends * |
⊕ Meridian (2012). 
± & EP (2013).
ϖ Mixtape Two (2014).
* Cardinal (2016).
§ Skylight (2018).
** Marigold (2019).
€ 11:11 (2022).
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