I really can’t believe I’ve made it as long as I have without seeing Beirut. I mean, it’s sort of understandable since he hasn’t been around that long and rarely seems to play festivals — at least not any of the five or six that I regularly attend. But even more than the unlikelihood of a guy who sees dozens and dozens of bands each year having not seeing one of the preeminent young bands, I’m amazed that I hadn’t yet made the trip to see someone who is so effing great in concert.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the most knowledgeable Beirut fan. I’ve heard his studio albums and a bootleg or two, but I’ll be darned if I can remember more than a handful of his songs’ titles (as will soon be evidenced by this review). But even I, who am not among the most dedicated of his fans, will have to admit that they put on a show that’s downright unrivaled by any other folk act out there. For a band that isn’t playing anything close to the Rolling Stones-line of rock ‘n roll, they throw a hell of a show. Their performance had soft and tender sections, but was also forceful and not afraid to make its presence known. If we’re really going with Zach Condon as the new Jeff Mangum, I think we could have done a hell of a lot worse.

Oh and in true Matt Jordan form, I missed the part where Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy) came out and played with Beirut. When will I learn that everything awesome happens at the end of the show!

Loads more photos after the break.