By Sami Abou-Mayaleh
Eagerness emanated from the seemingly endless line of indie-rock enthusiasts as they waited outside the House of Blues on Saturday to catch New Mexico-based band Beirut while on tour with their fifth album, “No No No.”
Formed initially in 2006 as a solo project by Santa Fe native Zach Condon, Beirut’s music combines the sounds of world music with specific Mexican influences and indie-rock.
With a heavy use of brass instruments with the likes of trumpets and trombones, Beirut brings the old sound of traditional Mexican mariachi bands to life while staying true to their youthful and modern indie tone.
Inspired by the success stories of The Decemberists and Neutral Milk Hotel, the six-man group also claim to be ethnographic in their influences, which include Balkan folk and traditional Eastern European music.
Dedicated fans, who had gathered before the event in hopes of attaining prime audience positions, awaited opening act Hailu Mergia, an Ethiopian keyboardist and accordionist who was originally the organist of Ethiopian jazz group Walias Band.
Joined by a bassist and drummer, Mergia delivered the perfect vibe of jazzy African funk to the enlivened audience. The sexy, lounge-reminiscent music had the audience grooving and dancing to its mystical percussion and synthesized tones.
After a brief set rearrangement and some waiting, Beirut excitedly emerged on stage with an energy that prompted the audience to erupt with loud cheers and inexhaustible clapping.
The audience swayed as blue lights drowned the venue during the more broody songs and jumped and sang along elatedly as upbeat songs rang through the House of Blues.
Immediately, the audience began to jive and dance along to the folksy sounds as Beirut played their bigger hits, “Santa Fe,” “No No No,” and “Postcards From Italy.”
“Santa Fe,” an ode to their hometown, is one of the songs that define the band’s original sound. This song specifically demonstrates the beautiful mesh of mariachi trumpets and trombones with a vocally- and lyrically-alternative core.
“You ready for this one, Boston?” frontman Condon shouted before playing one of the band’s early songs, “Nantes.” The audience roared and danced with all of their strength, recognizing the tune in unison as the opening accordion notes blared.
Fans were seen pushing each other roughly into the barriers in front of the stage as “Nantes” trumpeted mightily and brought the show to an end.
Beirut humbly bowed and thanked their electrified audience as they receded backstage, but the audience stomped and clapped wildly, demanding an encore.
After some additional rowdy beseeching from the audience, Beirut obliged and returned to the stage.
Ending the show with their legendary hits “The Flying Club Cup” and “Pacheco,” Beirut left the audience breathless, ecstatic, and satisfied with their exhilarating show.
