The Slip Returns Without Missing a Beat

The Slip opened and closed their Friday night show at the Bowery Ballroom with a musical prayer for the assembled fans. The gently strummed chords on Brad Barr’s guitar seemed at once an invocation and a lullaby, and based upon the hushed and rapt response of the crowd, it did not fall upon deaf ears.

The Slip recently embarked on a six-show tour—their first in nearly 2 years—and judging by the band’s performance at New York's Bowery Ballroom, their playing hasn’t suffered at all during the hiatus. In fact, the trio played with an electric intensity, virtuosity and passion rarely witnessed on a concert stage. From old standbys such as “Get Me with Fuji” to “The Weight of Solomon,” to re-worked fan favorites “Airplane/Primitive,” “Even Rats,” and “Children of December” from their 2006 album Eisenhower, The Slip played as if they had never been away.

Most surprisingly, the quality of their new songs rivaled anything else they played and the audience’s reaction was every bit as enthusiastic. “D’Gary,” “Motherwolf,” and “Engl And,” which closed the show on a note of particular poignancy, were each superb and literally took the audience’s collective breath away.

Brad Barr, Mark Friedman and Andrew Barr, on guitar, base and drums respectively, are each virtuoso musicians and together they create a unique mix of music which is evocative of a diverse cornucopia of bands, including The Who, AC/DC, The Mahavishnu Orchestra and even, at times, the Beatles.

One can only hope that The Slip continues to write and perform music for many years to come. If you have any chance to see this band in the future, do yourself a favor and buy a ticket immediately!

Even Rats - The Slip