A night with the figurative Grizzly Bear just might heal you

Photo by Zoë Edeskuty, Arts & Culture Editor

Grizzy Bear is a band that will tell you what you need to hear, even if it's backed with a mix of raw, electric grandeur and dreamy soundscapes. 

After an approximately six-year hiatus, Brooklyn-based Grizzly Bear returned with a short tour across the U.S., performing their second to last show at The Warfield in San Francisco on Nov. 18. Even after such a long passage of time, the crowd was filled with all ages, ranging from sparkly-eyed twenty year-olds to pumped up millennials ready to hear some of their all-time favorites. 

Grizzly Bear’s music rang most brightly in their golden age between the early to mid 2010s, when they released well-known tracks like “Two Weeks” or “Slow Life” from the film “Twilight Saga: New Moon.” At this concert, it was as if they continued right where they left off, just without the Sillybandz and hair feathers of the previous decade. 

In the live setting, the band arguably sounds better than the recorded studio albums featured: “Veckatimest,” “Yellow House,” “Horn of Plenty,” “Painted Ruins” and “Shields.” The stage design added to the full immersion of music; little lanterns were scattered throughout the stage and pulsed along with the music. 

The set began with their song “Southern Point,” a warm song that quickly erupts into a cinematic calling with fluctuating tempos and ultimatums of  “you’ll never find me now / in the end.” 

While labeled as an indie rock band, the group’s specific sound is difficult to define. It leans more into the experimental realm, blending neo-psychedalia and psychedelic folk to create a unique sound unlike any other. It echoes their band name, which refers to the intelligent woodland animal of a grizzly bear, choosing to imbed the more whimsical qualities of wildlife into delightful pop. 

With lead vocals and multi-instrumentalists Ed Droste and Daniel Rossen fusing their falsetto vocals in magnetic harmony, it is no wonder fans have stuck around after the group’s time off.  

After the first song, Droste thanked those that traveled far to see the show and for listening to their music all these years. 

“It means a lot,” said Droste with a wide smile on his face. The group as a whole have a rooted, down-to-earth energy, clearly present in the fun of it all, as if a coil surged through the stage’s lanterns and connected each musician to the other.  

Along with Droste (vocals, keyboards, guitar) and Rossen (vocals, guitar, keyboards, banjo), the other band members Chris Taylor (bass, backing vocals and woodwinds production) and Christopher Bear (drums, percussion, backing vocals) add to the group’s multi-instrumentalist talent. 

Their second song, “Alligator (choir version),” seemed to act as the portal opening into Grizzly Bear’s own cosmic world. Adorned with synths and mystical motifs, the tune starts off slow and static before opening up. 

In the small theatre residing in the Tenderloin neighborhood, the crowd cheered and applauded, enjoying a pocket of warmth that defied worries, a place where people could just be.    

Their songs opened up into their own realm, each with their own distinct melodies and instrumentation. The lyricism alone is striking. 

Other songs, such as “Ready, Able” and “Foreground,” used a softer instrumentation in the beginning for a slowed down atmosphere, with the latter saying “take on another shift / palms in the middle, hands in the middle.” 

Similar to this idea of the mundane, “Two Weeks” tells the listener to “Save up all the days / A routine malaise,” its title possibly calling a two week notice on a dying relationship. 

My favorites of the set had to be “Two Weeks,” “Slow Life,” “Sleeping Ute” and “On a Neck, On a Spit,” the first two featuring vocalist Victoria Legrand who is also the lead singer and keyboardist of dream pop band Beach House. One of Beach House’s most popular songs is “Space Song,” a melancholic song with haunting qualities that peaked out in the singer’s vocal inflections, especially “Slow Life.” 

The addition of Legrand added a rich color to the overall sound as her vocals melted in their contralto tones. Her stage presence was nonetheless ethereal as she embodied the character of the music. Having performed before the band’s break in the early 2010s, the two musical forces were a dream team. 

“Will Calls” and “Three Rings” were other songs Legrand accompanied on. Though she’s not in the studio version, the collaboration worked perfectly. Her and Droste, along with the rest of the band, would banter back and forth, reaffirming that they weren’t touring just to tour, but to reconnect with each other, a family reunion. 

After the show concluded, the band stopped by the stage door for a quick hello. Drummer Bear reflected that it’s nice to continue on with the music. 

Whether that meant touring again or simply sharing their art, it was evident that the world of Grizzly Bear, a warm glow now returning to a time capsule, will still shine bright from their neck of the woods singing for those that listen.