I Just Read About That…

[DID NOT ATTEND: June 3, 2026] Built to Spill

Built to Spill is a fascinating band.  I’ve seen them seven times.  They change their setlist nightly which is awesome, and even some of the bigger “hits” don’t get played every show.  They didn’t play Carry the Zero the last time I saw them and there’s no song that they’ve played at every show (I Would Hut a Fly is pretty close).

So they are an indie rock band who tour a lot but who don’t put out a ton of new music.  And yet their fan base is devoted (and pretty obnoxious).  The age range is pretty broad, but there are a mix of twenty-somethings scattered in there who are awful–drunken bros and chatty girls.  The girls next to me couldn’t stop talking and taking pictures of each other and the bros at the bar were audible during the quiter moments–one of them even said something about the bass player which was borderline salacious.

This is the third time I’ve seen the band with this lineup: Melanie Radford on bass and Teresa Esguerra on drums.  It’s the most times I’ve seen them with the same players.  And they have really been gelling.  Onec of the most fun parts of the shows is when Dug does a lengthy improvised solo and Melanie steps back and looks over at Teresa and they smile and get into a tight groove.  It’s great!

Teresa plays in Prism Bitch who opened for BtS back in 2019 and Melanie Radford plays in Blood Lemon who opened for BTS in 2022.  As a trio, they are fantastic.  A friend of mine says he misses the larger band, and yea, it is cool when there are two guitars playing off each other, but this format give Dug a lot of space to play around.

Every setlist is different, even from show to show.  I’m intrigued, though, that they never play songs from Ancient Melodies of the Future (I’ve only seen them play one song from that record).  But as for the other albums, he mixes it up.  And tonight’s show started with Some Other Song and Spiderweb.  The crowd was really loud after his solos–I’m fascinated that there’s so many people who enjoy jammy guitar solos.

I was psyched to hear The Plan, a personal favorite.  It was followed by The Wait which I haven’t seen them play since 2019.

By this time I was getting really annoyed by the girls near me.  They were talking so much.  And I wanted to let it not bother me but they were so annoying.  But they were also apparently really into the show.  They were excited by Center of the Universe, but I have to wonder what songs they really like.

They started Tomorrow, a song I had not heard them play before and a guy at the far left of the crowd shouted They’re Playing My Song!  And he bounced his way to the middle right in front of me, obnoxiously singing and facing everyone until he pushed his way to the barrier ans shouted along. Security came a few moments later and the loud girls next to me started shouting No No, He didn’t…  whatever.  At that point I had to leave the area because I hated everyone.  I was glad my wife hadn’t come because the crowd was awful.

Asbury Lanes is pretty shallow, so I figured I could just push to the back, but it was really crowded (good for Dug).  So I hung in the back for a bit, when they played a (to me) new song Fire to Dust, a song that’s been played since 2023 but hasn’t shown up anywhere.  I really liked Distopian Dream Girl, but the guy in front of me was swaying so far to the left and right that I thought h might fall over.  So I moved again, this time near the bar–bad idea.  Drunk bros talking through I Would Hurt a Fly (I know this one!).  Then I  saw a woman sneak part the bros and go to the barrier.  There was some room so I followed her and had a pretty nice spot away from the brows and chatty girls.

I didn’t recognize the R.E.M. song at all. (it’s on the Murmur EP which I don’t know that well).  But then they started Car, a song I love which I didn’t realize I’d never heard them play before.  Awesome!  They followed it with Virginia Reel Around the Fountain a Halo Benders song that I like a lot and which I’ve seen a few times.  And then the two people on the barrier in front of me left.  So I got to stand on the barrier for the last few songs–incredible.

Especially since it was Carry the Zero!  They jammed that song out for a while and was fun to see Dug messing around with his effects pedals while soloing.  They left for an encore break and came back for a scorching rendition of Broken Chairs.  I loved how long Dug played the middle solo section–just effects and noises and solos while Teresa played all kinds of interesting percussion sounds.  And just when it seemed like it was over–with the soloing fading out, Dug brought the song back and they jammed it to a close.

It could have ended there–I feel like lately they’ve been a one encore band, but Dug started the chords to Going Against Your Mind and it was really fun watching Melanie play the awesome opening riffage on the bass.  Going Against Your Mind is a fantastic song with some great soloing.  Dug had a ton of fun and even smiled a bunch when people gave Melanie extra props for her bass work.

So the nights started out great.  It went downhill after a few songs, went a little further downhill and then rocketed back up to end the night with one of the best final few songs I’ve seen at a BTS show.

I would certainly see them again (maybe a 25 year tour of Ancient Melodies?).

Ultimate Alternative Wavers (1993) [2 of 10 songs]
There’s Nothing Wrong with Love (1994) [6 of 13 songs]
Built to Spill Caustic Resin (1995) [1 of 5 songs]
The Normal Years (1996) [1 of 10 songs]
Perfect from Now On (1997) [5 of 8 songs]
Keep It Like a Secret (1999) [10 of 10 songs]
Ancient Melodies of the Future (2001) [1 of 10 songs]
You in Reverse (2006) [4 of 10 songs]
There Is No Enemy (2009) [4 of 11 songs]
Untethered Moon (2015) [6 of 10 songs]
When the Wind Forgets Your Name (2022) [2 of 10 songs]
∅ unreleased circa 2023.