Late last week, Interpol were on their way to Canada from Ohio when they were stuck in Buffalo, New York, due to a massive snowstorm that nailed the city. The band were stuck for over 50 hours on their tour bus and as they tweeted their adventure of doing nothing and passed the time, they had to cancel a number of shows due to their situation. By the weekend, the band were safely free and their tour resumed. On Monday night, one of their first shows after what was called "Winterpol" they began the first of three sold-out nights inside Terminal 5.
Arriving on stage to a heroes welcome, the slick New York City rockers sprang into action with "Say Hello to the Angels," off their stellar 2002 debut, Turn on the Bright Lights, the record that pushed them to the forefront with The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio, of the early 2000's wave of influential New York City bands that would shape the music of the years and next decade to come. It was then into "My Blue Supreme," off their fantastic new album, El Pintor, that showed the balance between new and old Interpol to their crowd. Performing in front of a giant screen that featured the cover of their new record, random images of the band, distorted live video of them performing, and various films as they ripped through their set which was heavy on their first and latest records. Singer Paul Banks looked so thrilled to not only be back on stage, but back to his hometown, yet, it was guitarist Daniel Kessler that really stole the show with his movements on stage, guitar playing and most of all, energy he was projecting to the Manhattan crowd.
During their 90-minute set, the band sprinkled in fan favorites like "PDA," "Slow Hands," "Evil," "Lights," and "The Lighthouse." As their first set came to a close with the bombastic "Slow Hands," it nearly felt as if this band could go on for two hours more and they looked like it too. As they retreated to the wings, fans clearly wanted more, chanting "N!Y!C!," "Encore!," "More!," even if they wanted to end the night, there was no way over 3,000 people inside would let them go quietly. Coming back on stage to perform their latest hit, "All the Rage Back Home," it not only sounded better live, the energy of the crowd brought it to new heights. Yet, the highlight of the night came from "NYC," the song that spoke to and still speaks to every New Yorker, young and old, after 9/11. This was the song that took them from being a well respected New York band to a much loved New York band. As Taylor Swift's false ode to New York dominates modern radio and charts, her and her Times Square-esque song should have paid attention to this track; "NYC," is and will always remain that song that sums up this crazy city perfectly.
Interpol's hometown throwdown continues until Thanksgiving Eve and while we are glad the band were able to play these shows and return home safely, they do prove that there is no place like home.