Live Review: Minus the Bear 4/25

“Hey guys, so awesome show in Detroit, but do you know the best cure for a melted face?” (via Minus the Bear’s Twitter page)

Ever since first meeting like-minded Minus the Bear fans, I’ve been hearing the same thing over and over again; “There’s nothing like a Minus the Bear show—you have to see them live.”

Luckily, the Seattle-based band’s headlining tour stopped in Detroit April 25 in support of their new album Omni, set to drop from their new label Dangerbird Records May 4, 2010.

A mostly male audience wielding PBR tallboys filled Saint Andrews comfortably Sunday night. From the looks on my audience neighbors’ faces, I wasn’t the only one absolutely ecstatic to experience the band’s characteristic genre bending sound live.

From the moment the quintet took the stage with “Knights” off of their album Planet of Ice, their song selections flowed together without hesitation. They balanced the set list between tracks off their new album like “My Time” and “Into the Mirror,” with old favorites like, “Pachuca Sunrise” and “Get Me Naked 2: Electric Boogaloo.”

Their fourth full-length release “Omni” named for the Latin word meaning “all or everything,” has been streaming on KCRW since April 19, the first date of their 6-week tour. Judging by the sing-a-longs that accompanied the Omni songs, about half of the crowd had taken advantage of the free stream.

Minus the Bear’s lyrics feature poetic recounts of European travels, women, and vivid scenes of thoroughly enjoying life with friends. Omni has been said to be their sexiest, most upbeat release to date. The live performance of the songs off of Omni translated the energy of the album perfectly, and judging by the jamming sea of bodies, the crowd seemed to dig it.

Apart from Snider’s mesmerizing delivery of already beautiful lyrics, guitarist Dave Knudson captivated the crowd by rocking with a hair-tossing, nearly geometric sway at the edge of the stage. He carried the band’s slick melodies while showcasing his two-hand tapping technique and effect-fueled sound.

They wrapped up the encore with the predictable, yet crowd pleasing, “Absinthe Party at the Fly Honey Warehouse.” During the encore, front man Snider said something along the lines of how “pleasantly surprised” they were by the energy of the crowd. I don’t really know what else he expected from Detroit Rock City.