By Jason Boucher

The return of Doug Martsch and Built To Spill was a sight for sore eyes, and tired eyes late last Wednesday night at The Sinclair in Cambridge, MA. After a three hour wait since doors opened, Built To Spill took the stage to roar from the crowd of mostly 30 and 40 somethings and one loud, grabby inebriated fellow who seemed to just always be in the way. Don’t worry, the show was amazing and the view was great, as it usually is at The Sinclair, one of the best venues in metro Boston to see live music.

The Built To Spill trio was made up of Doug Martsch on guitar and sound boxes, Melanie Radford on bass, and Teresa Esguerra on drums — who was just incredible. Her performance was one of the best I’ve seen in any club; constantly pounding and pulsating on the kit—making faces as she concentrated on each new song. Her style is loud and vivacious, but done well, complimenting Martsch’s approach on the guitar and staying in rhythm with the bass. No earplugs needed.

As for Martsch and his guitar? Simply a delight. The Idahoan and former Treeperson seems to get better and better every time I see him perform live. The way he tackled the covers by Daniel Johnston and The Cars was on point, he just has a knack for making great sounds come out of that guitar. Some favorites of mine that were played included I Would Hurt A Fly, Strange, Reasons, and Carry The Zero which were played in order.

Setlist:

• Stop the Show

• Bloody Rainbow (Daniel Johnston cover)

• Distopian Dream Girl

• Spiderweb

• On the Way

• Never Be the Same

• Tomorrow

• Conventional Wisdom

• Since You’re Gone (The Cars cover)

• I Would Hurt a Fly

• Strange

• Reasons

• Pat

• Gonna Lose

• Carry the Zero

• Encore: Broken Chairs

After a two-night stay in the Boston area the tour continues, next stop Philadelphia and then the midwest. This version of Built To Spill might not look right to some older fans, but it sounds amazing and you should go see them live. You won’t regret it.