It’s no surprise the tUnE-yArDs set at Sasquatch! was as good as it was. They’ve been out on the road for over a year now, touring in support of a dynamo sophomore album, w h o k i l l, and it’s left the group, well, better than ever. Founder and frontwoman Merrill Garbus's cheery attitude and eclectically awesome music not only fit perfectly into the scheme of Saturday, but had everyone dancing up a dirt storm out in the field.
Sure, her setlist has changed little from show to show, but that felt okay, considering the limited size of her own recordings. What she did with those songs, on this day, made up for everything. The twisting sound and tune structure we know her for helped make the set especially good.
As per usual, Garbus opened with a funky vocal warm-up, then questioned the crowd with the shout, “Do you wanna live?” As she continued on, a smile rarely left her face, and she seemed to be having the time of her life. Looping her vocals on the spot, she’d frequently turn to her bassist or sax players and laugh with happiness. She was at her best, and this really came through in “Bizness,” which released the crowd into a wild frenzy of fun.
Closing with “My Country,” Garbus was radiant, even shifting the spotlight for a few seconds toward bassist Nate Brenner as he sang a few lines of the chorus. It was sad to see such a great show come to an end, but it’s obvious this girl and her group are gonna be around for a while.
