Andrew Bird Announces Church Gigs

by Meg Ruddick

Multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird will step out of rock clubs and into a different kind of venue for a handful of shows this winter. The chamber-pop singer is scheduled to perform at churches in Minneapolis and his hometown of Chicago this December.

Photo by Cameron Wittig

The five shows will take place between Dec. 10 and Dec. 17 at Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral and Fourth Presbyterian Church. Bird will perform solo violin pieces with vocals -- all amplified though his signature giant horns instead of regular P.A. systems. The shows will be built around the Dutch concept of Gezelligheid, which is roughly described as a cozy, joyous atmosphere. Bird explains the concept for his shows in a press release via Pitchfork: "What I hope to do with these shows is adapt my music completely to the atmosphere of the space and the season. I'm inspired to do this based on childhood memories of performing Handel's Messiah in various churches on an annual basis... I want the audience to be both lifted and comforted as we head into another cold and dark winter. I feel the space should be sacred so the audience can experience my music in a different atmosphere."

Visit Andrew Bird's MySpace page for tour dates and more information on the Gezelligheid concerts. And stay tuned Friday at noon for his live performance from WXPN's Live Fridays. Also, tune in to PBS this Saturday to see Bird's appearance on the Austin City Limits stage alongside St. Vincent.

12:05 PM ET | 10-22-2009 | permalink

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