Live music review: Spoon ACL Festival Late Night show with Andrew Cashen

Last week, Spoon performed at ACL Live for an Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL Fest) Late Night show that included Andrew Cashen (A Giant Dog, Sweet Spirit) performing solo along with up and coming act, Glove. It has been a busy couple of weeks for the Austin outfit who have released critically acclaimed records for over 25 years, cementing their legacy as one of the Live Music Capital’s most successful rock bands ever. The group played both weekends of ACL Fest, the Austin Parks Foundation fundraiser, this show being reviewed at The Cosmic Clash and tape their fifth Austin City Limits TV episode tonight.

Cashen opened the show with full-blown, over-the-top charisma. At A Giant Dog shows, the rambunctious singer is known for climbing the scaffolding at venues. As an audience member, I’ve seen him climb the tent over the patio stage at Hotel Vegas and jump off into the mosh pit. At a venue like the Moody Theater, my curiosity wondered if there was scalable infrastructure at the venue. Three women, draped in all gold, took to the center, resembling the Muses from Hercules. Walking onto the stage in an all white suit, Cashen immediately moved the mic stand to the backstage for swanky “Frank Sinatra’s Yacht”. “I don’t know how I got here; I don’t know how I’m gonna leave; there’s no one to impress here and nothing to achieve”, his voice dipped low. 

Cashen played a rousing game of “The Stage Is Lava”, jumping from monitor to monitor. Several times, the front man hopped over the photo pit barrier, into the crowd. The audience held the mic cord over head to avoid getting tangled. Cashen beckoned for those on the floor to get low and crouch. For his last number, the dreamy “Holding On”, Cashen grabbed three bouquets of roses from backstage. Once more, he wandered around the audience, passing out flowers. He closed the show tossing the last bouquet into the throngs of fans in the audience.

Next up, Glove put on a production. Newcomers to the scene from Tampa, Florida, Glove has been touring for the past several months to promote their latest album Boom Nights. Glove harnessed post-punk inspiration, with their lead singer, Rod Wendt adopting a melancholy presence, hands crossed behind his back center stage, rocking onto the toes of his shoes.

Strobes flashed over the crowd for their popular track “Behaviour”. Glove’s drummer, Brie Denicourt captivated the audience with her energy. During the course of Glove’s set, Denicourts rotated instruments, taking the lead for “Modern Toy”. With full blown riot grrrl energy she traipsed across the stage with her shoulder pads bouncing.

Finally, it was time for Spoon. Spoon has cemented itself in the Austin music scene, hell, internationally for their indie-rock tracks. Spoon has been consistent and enduring in their sound since their first album dropped in 1998. They’re arguably the most successful working rock band in Austin over the past 26 years.

In the front row, I chatted with a lady from Denver, who stood to my right, “The first time I saw Spoon was in Portland, Maine.” She went on to tell stories of the dives she caught known acts that had been passing through New York and Boston. She had even caught one of Cashen’s roses. On my left, a woman had linked arms with me to avoid a big group of people. Spoon has some of the friendliest fans.

Spoon released their tenth studio album “Lucifer on the Sofa” early in 2022,  employing sonic power chords reverberating back with choppy riffs, that could be a soundtrack for the movie The Outsiders.

The familiar chords of “The Underdog” hit the audience like beacons of light. This was the moment the crowd became elevated. “Duhduhduh duhduh duhduh,” people gleefully sung the instrumentals while Daniel strummed an acoustic black guitar before the first verse hit. No crazy lights spectacular for this piece, just a band, the stage, and their fans. They played a few songs from their latest album, including “My Babe”, “The Hardest Cut”, and “Lucifer on the Sofa”.  

Spoon poured it all out at “I Turn My Camera On”. They kicked off with a longer than expected introduction, bounding from bass note to bass note. While lead Britt Daniel seemed to be consumed in his guitar, Alex Fishel jumped in to get the crowd going. “Don’t You Evah” took the same approach, ad-libbing a guitar solo at the start.

                             

After “Wild”, Spoon departed the stage with an exceptionally long break before returning for an encore, Daniel swapping out for a cooler wardrobe change. The singer started off their intimate hit, “I Summon You”. “The Mystery Zone” ended the night on a high note. Daniel wrapped up the show by calling out Cashen as a dear friend, which fit the theme of Austin City Limits Music Festival doing more to promote local musicians this year than in most recent years.

Tonight, Spoon tape their fifth Austin City Limits TV episode in the same Moody Theater room where they thrilled fans last week.

All photos by Michael Maly.