For those of you who’re looking to keep this a short read, I’ll get to the point earlier than I otherwise might’ve: Spoon are always, always fantastic live. I’ve seen them four or five times now and it really only seems to get better. Even though their new album is my least favorite of theirs in about ten years, all the songs I didn’t fall in love with on the album hit with great force on Sunday.

The biggest delight to me was that Spoon brought out the horn section from Louisville’s Lucky Pinapple. They played the horn parts on some songs and even got to back up the guitar riffs on a few hornless tracks (“Stay Don’t Go”). They may not have had the wild stage set up that the Lips brought, but hiring some extra musicians is a great way to show that they’re appreciative of their fans. I would’ve been totally OK with an ordinary set, but the extras really made the show even better.

They did a good bit of stuff off Transference, lots from Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga and some from Gimme Fiction. I was praying for more than the average (or or two) off Kill the Moonlight or anything from Girls Can Tell and I lucked out on one of those. We got “The Fitted Shirt,” which I don’t think I’d heard before, and it sounded fantastic. They also played their cover of the Damned’s “Love Song,” which I didn’t imagine we’d get. It wasn’t my ideal setlist (too much Transference), but the high points were fantastic.

More photos after the break.