Live: Fleet Foxes at Sydney Opera House, 3rd January 2012

The What: Sub Pop darlings Fleet Foxes play Sydney’s Opera House in a three-night residency. Much better than the last time they played at the Metro where I think I may or may not have been. Here’s a hot tip: don’t ever mix antidepressants and booze.

Crowd specs: Last time it was dirty hipsters with bad facial hair and flannos. This time it’s dirty hipsters with bad facial hair and flannos as well as a bunch of middle-aged peeps who heard that a Crosby Stills Nash & Young tribute band is playing tonight. And as such the bell promptly rings at 8pm for people to take their seats, no support for us coz the fogies need to get home at a reasonable hour.

And they stil have the harmonies. It’s their finest quality: six dudes on stage in perfect harmonial equilibrium. Singer Robin is a little less hirsute than last time but they’ve gained a touring keys player.

What doesn’t change is their setlist. This isn’t an impromptu get-together ten minutes before they take the stage. This is a rehearsed set from start to finish (jump on any setlist website to see). So this could mean two things – they’re great at what they deliver and what to put on a good show or they’res scared of mixing things up and churn out the same product each night.

What does matter is that Mykonos gets played early on, by far their finest moment. Helplessness Blues has some fine songs and they sound good but it was all about the summer of ’09 for me.

Setlist: 2 Albums and an ep, so yes all the well known songs will get played as if anyone was to doubt it. But as this is a set that’s been predetermined for quite a while it feels a bit watered down, a bit lacking. Sure there’s banter between songs and the crowd loves it but there’s no rock and roll spirit; no feeling of impending shenanigans. Or maybe that’s the way Fleet Foxes have always been.

The verdict: Blue Ridge Mountains and Montezuma was special, but as it’s essentially the band punching in a clock to get through their songs there was no spontaneity and as such, no heart. Harmonies and flannos at the Opera House do not a memorable show make.

Rating