LIVE: John Darnielle at the Coffeehouse

Part of me thinks John Darnielle is a really complex guy and part of me thinks he should be pretty easy to read. I'm not really sure if either is true, but I'm pretty sure there's no one else like him, and his show at the Duke Coffeehouse last night certainly proved that point.

Darnielle played a lengthy set that included newer, older and never-before-heard songs to a capacity crowd at the Coffeehouse. Per usual, the show was interspersed with banter from the songwriter, much of it mocking his older material and highlighting his eccentricities as a person.

 2005's The Sunset Tree was perhaps the best represented album of the night. It's no coincidence then that Darnielle's childhood and domestic violence were big subjects of the night. He introduced "Dance Music" by saying, "I'm a lot happier now than when I was a child. Here's a song about that." But his meditations on the subject were meaningful, adding meaning and depth to the songs. 

Perhaps what's most remarkable about Darnielle live is his energy. As much as he is a singer/songwriter (a prolific one at that), he pours himself into each song, filling them with emotion. His stories and characters are more alive than ever. For just a guy with a guitar playing some songs that are sometimes really simple chords, he crafts an incredibly engaging.

Opener John Vanderslice, whose own set was quite the treat, joined Darnielle for the end of his set. The two recorded an EP for the tour. Although the EP was not available for sale, they played some of the tracks. Darnielle described the EP as being about zombies on the moon, and the songs fit the bill. Definitely enjoyable, they did not hold a candle to the end of the set which closed with "The Best Ever Death Metal Band from Denton." Seeing the two Johns side-by-side only made Darnielle's physical energy more pronounced as Vanderslice (or JV, as the other John called him) was much more restrained in his movements. (Vanderslice kind of reminded me of Kermit the Frog on stage. I mean that in a good way--Kermit is one of my favorite Muppets)

The encore was short and sweet with a bit of theology from Darnielle. But it capped off one of the Coffeehouse's best shows of the semester. And it made anyone in Durham proud that John Darnielle calls the Bull City home.