What a great cap to one of the most relaxing festivals of the year. The attendees of MusicNOW 2008 were treated to a solo performance by Andrew Bird, which is, truthfully , my favorite kind. He always seems more relaxed and talkative during solo gigs, plus it’s easier to be entranced by how he constructs his songs in front of you using loop pedals.

MP3: Andrew Bird – Scythian Empire

Bird came up from Nashville where he’s recording his new record. And since his mind was already in new song mode, he treated us to about five new songs. Unfortunately that meant that he messed up more times than he has in the six times I’ve seen him put together. Fortunately for him, though, the audience was full of huge fans who seemed to find his minor slip ups adorable. They prompted him when he forgot the lyrics to “the Naming of Things,” which he dedicated to a 4-year-old girl who wanted to hear “the garbage can song.”

But slip-ups aside, the set was really good. New songs “Oh No!,” “Section 8 City” and “Swarm” sounded fantastic and have got me looking forward to his new record. Gotta say, though, that I was most pleased that he did “Action/Adventure” and “Why?” The new ones are great, but it’s always good to hear ones you know.

More photos below.