Interpol at Madison Square Garden

Paul Banks

Born in London, England, Daniel Kessler lived until age 11 in a village outside of Paris, France. The guitarist formed what would become Interpol as a university student in New York City in 1997. Paul Banks, whom Kessler had known from Paris, joined as vocalist (and later also traded his guitar for the bass after original bassist Carlos Dengler left the band in 2010). Sam Fogarino, who worked at a vintage clothing store and considered retiring from music, joined in 2000 when the band's original drummer left. Interpol played local clubs along with the Strokes, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the National, LCD Soundsystem, and similar bands when suddenly New York's indie scene exploded internationally; Interpol first headlined Madison Square Garden in 2007. Interpol went on hiatus in 2011, with the three members for the first time living in different cities as they focused on other projects. The trio reunited two and a half years later. Interpol's sixth and most recent studio album, Marauder, was released on August 24, 2018.

Interpol's return to Madison Square Garden tonight signified that despite the departure of a founding member and several albums that did not receive the acclaim of the first two, the band was ready to aim high again. With the help of two touring musicians, keyboardist Brandon Curtis and bassist Brad Truax (allowing Banks to return to guitar), Interpol performed a 20-song set that spotlighted key tracks on all of its albums, with an emphasis on the first two collections. On stage, Banks was rather stoic; he hardly moved, spoke little and allowed minimum emotion to color his abstract lyrics. Kessler, on the other hand, danced and bounced incessantly with his strumming. Interpol's signature Joy Division/Smiths/Cure groove-rooted, curtain of sound imprint was stamped on every song, even the new "Fine Mess." Most of the songs were measured and succinct, but the band jammed a bit on "Flight of Fancy" and "The New." Head-nodding rhythms often dominated over melody, so if the listener was not familiar with the newer songs, it was too easy to zone out for a bit. The very active light show, the frequent blasts of fog, and the lack of projection screens challenged the audience to stay tuned to the music rather than the spectacle. Nevertheless, the band's robust, energetic presentation brought even the more droning songs to a soaring summit.

Setlist:

1. Pioneer to the Falls
2. C’mere
3. If You Really Love Nothing
4. Public Pervert
5. Roland
6. Complications
7. Say Hello to the Angels
8. NYC
9. Take You on a Cruise
10. The Rover
11. Rest My Chemistry
12. Evil
13. Flight of Fancy
14. The New
15. All the Rage Back Home
16. Fine Mess
17. Slow Hands

Encore:

1. Lights
2. Not Even Jail
3. Obstacle 1