Mercury Rev
Baybeats 2007
Esplanade Theatre

For a while, it seemed like an art installation show. A series of images – a happy dog enjoying the breeze in a car ride, two women whispering excitedly into each other’s ears – flickered on stage, accompanied by musical snippets.
Then it became a succession of album covers from artistes including David Bowie, Talking Heads and The Chemical Brothers, as if in contemplation of Mercury Rev’s place in the musical universe.
All this before the American indie band finally took the stage. Frontman Jonathan Donahue, 41, proved to be a charismatic presence as his lanky,clad-in-black frame pranced about the stage.
Deeply absorbed in the music, he was an energetic conductor, rousing the rest of the band with dramatic flourishes in numbers like The Dark Is Rising from All Is Dream (2001) and a cover of legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan’s You Gotta Serve Somebody.
And that raggedy voice of his was a poignant contrast to the lush wall of sound his fellow band members constructed.
Even though the introduction to the show pointed to the band’s roots in composing for experimental films, the songs performed were mostly from their last three albums.
Deserter’s Songs (1998), their critically acclaimed breakthrough, received the greatest airing over the 100-minute, 14-song set.Donahue and company saved the best for last as they offered their biggest hit Goddess On A Hiway for the encore after the rapturous 600-plus audience gave them a standing ovation.
The singer was clearly in a happy place even though he revealed that he had to forfeit his customary glass of wine here before going on stage.
More significantly, he surrendered himself to the soundscapes with quotes like“Your mind is not yours alone” flashing across the screen and hinting at the enigmas of life and the universe.
Occasionally, the audience was stunned by glaring stage lights (not to mention the deafening volume) – which could conceivably be interpreted as our collective blindness in the face of such immense existential questions.
In any case, the lights framed the band members in visually arresting silhouettes.
One particular image sticks in the mind – Donahue standing precariously on one leg, attempting to find balance and resolution before plunging fearlessly into a new song and a vista of wonder and majesty.
(ST)