It Happened Last Night

One Thousand Soggy Fans Devour Wolf Parade's New Tunes

PHILADELPHIA: A sold-out crowd embraces Plants and Animals and Wolf Parade with jumping, screaming…and some umbrella waving.

Despite getting to rainy Philadelphia's Fillmore at the TLA a little late -- according to facetious co-frontmen Spencer Krug (also of Sunset Rubdown and Frog Eyes) and Dan Boeckner (also of Handsome Furs), "a gas station blew up" along the way -- the Montreal fivesome held the stage for a straight hour and half…fifteen minutes past curfew.

The encore, not to mention the song Boeckner called their "last, but a 12-14 minute song" may have put them over the time limit, not that anyone in the rain-drenched audience cared. Fans lapped up the band's comical banter -- Krug jokingly fired guitarist Dante DeCaro for taking a pee-break five songs in -- moshed to old favorites such as "I'll Believe in Anything," and went truly nuts for seven fantastic tracks from their nearly-done sophomore LP, despite Krug's seemingly sage warning to "get ready to be confused and bored." Boeckner even introduced the encore with a personal thanks to audience for "listening to the new songs." Afterwards, as the crowd reluctantly streamed out into the rain, one fan said Boeckner really didn't have to say that, …in fact, we should be thanking him. 

We asked: Plants and Animals opened for Wolf Parade, who was signed by Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock and whose members are also in the Handsome Furs, Frog Eyes and Swan Lake, so with all this animal talk going on, give us your own animal-inspired band name.

Name: Kit Layfield
Age: 20
Hometown: Radnor, PA
Occupation: Illustrator
"The Chimp Grip."

Name: Hilary Pennoni
Age: 24
Hometown: Chester Springs, PA
Occupation: Processor
"The Bears."

Name: Ari Mwachofi
Age: 18
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
Occupation: Student
"Fuzzy Lobster."

Name: Nicolas Basque
Age: 29
Hometown: Montreal, QC
Occupation: Musician for Plants and Animals
"The Eagles because it's so original."

Name: Kevin Ryan
Age: 21
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Occupation: Waiter
"The Panther Coalition."

Name: Lauren Maceolaro
Age: 25
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Occupation: Chef
"The Pisshounds."

Name: Alex Segretti
Age: 27
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Occupation: Skater
"The Hooting Owl."

Name: Paul Belohlavek
Age: 25
Hometown: Frenchtown, NJ
Occupation: Musician for Pray for the Lepers
"Phukin FĂĽrr."

Wolf Parade 'Shine a Light' at the Fillmore / Photo by Michelle Smith

Keyboardist/vocalist Spencer Krug / Photo by Michelle Smith

Vocalist/guitarist Dan Boeckner / Photo by Michelle Smith

Keyboardist Hadji Bakara / Photo by Michelle Smith

Opening act Plants and Animals / Photo by Michelle Smith

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