My relationship with Neutral Milk Hotel began a long time ago, all the way back to the perilous days of middle school when everything was confusing and tweens are just starting to figure out that music doesn’t have to be found only on local top 40 stations.
I discovered Neutral Milk Hotel through a poorly recorded cover of “Holland, 1945” played at a venue in Long Island, N.Y. by one of my favorite bands at the time (I’m now slightly embarrassed to say that I thought that the song was an original work). Even at about 14 years old, I was mesmerized by the emotion that came through such strange words—that’s still one of the primary elements of the band that attracts me to their music: no matter who plays it, you can feel vocalist Jeff Mangum’s original intentions pouring through every syllable.
So when I found out that I would be seeing the magic in person, I felt nothing but the emotions of awe and slight anxiousness. It was like returning to that unchallenged childhood feeling of excitement that people my age never really experience anymore. If I had a figurative bucket list, seeing Neutral Milk Hotel would be somewhere near the top, below hanging out with Lou Reed but above casually sharing a cup of coffee with Morrissey.
It was my first time seeing a show at the Civic Theatre, and I was impressed by the comfort ability of the venue. Even though the room was sold out, it didn’t feel even slightly claustrophobic, probably due to its high ceilings and spaced out balconies. It vaguely resembled a high school gym auditorium, but smaller and much more regal.
When I arrived between songs during the opening act, Elf Power, the room, a sea of flannel, was quietly buzzing. I don’t know exactly what I expected the crowd to look like, but the only word I could use to adequately describe the variety of people in attendance is “normal.” It was like everyone who discovered “In The Aeroplane Over The Sea” in their teenage years had grown up and had, understandably, come out in droves amid the end of the band’s 15-year hiatus. At the beginning of the show, I was skeptical about audience participation because of this, but once Mangum opened with “Two Headed Boy,” it was clear that crowd reaction wouldn’t be a hurdle.
The most exciting part of the performance was immediately after “King of Carrot Flowers Part 2 &3,” when a massive group of people toward the center of the room began moshing. It wasn’t the type of moshing that’d be done at a punk show; it was more of an energetic dance that happened to involve throwing your body into others’, which made for an especially good time.
The best part of the night musically was the band’s attention to detail, and its penchant for the transitions between songs. One of the things I love most about Neutral Milk Hotel is its use of non-traditional instruments, such as the French horn, accordion and trumpet: all were utilized throughout the performance in the same places as on “Aeroplane.” The general reaction to these practically orchestral movements was hysteria—the crowd went absolutely wild during every arrangement.
Overall, Neutral Milk Hotel’s performance at the Civil Theatre in New Orleans was one for the books. My 14-year-old self definitely would have approved.