This past weekend, the Ford Theatre hosted a truly locals-only musical experience with one of Los Angeles’ favorite rising indie rock stars Moses Sumney and his live touring band. Coming home after appearing in one of California’s biggest festivals Outside Lands on Friday, Moses was ready to give it his all with two special two-hour long performances for those who were lucky enough to score a ticket to either of these sold-out nights. With signed merchandise such as LP’s and special weekend-specific posters at the entrance, it was obvious that this was going to be a show unlike any of his past performances.
Moses began the show in a cloud of pure red lighting, wearing custom designed all-black attire featuring a leather corset and black lace mask. Beginning with songs off his latest album grae, Moses soon got the show moving at a quick and heavy pace with “Virile” and “Conveyor,” both songs that show not only his vocal flexibility but also his superb songwriting abilities to involve strong and unexpected percussion and electronic elements to emphasize the pain and angst expressed. These were especially impressive to experience live since it involved sharp precision on the part of his live band and himself; Moses regularly loops his own vocals live, and he did this masterfully with the live band. He then went on to perform some of his more sensitive and delicate songs from his new album such as “In Bloom” and “Bless Me,” reminding everyone of how they first fell in love with Moses’s beautiful voice.
After a short intermission, Moses returned to the stage with “Don’t Bother Calling” and “Indulge Me,” two of his most popular songs off his first full length album Aromanticism. Spending the rest of the show switching between his two full-length albums, he ended the night with his full band by performing his heart-breaking single “Doomed.” Soon after though he returned to the stage with his guitar and performed acoustic versions of “Plastic” and “Polly” as his encore performance.
Words and photos by Sarah Woods
