What breezy views we had over the Hudson River! How could you not want to spend a warm Thursday night on a charming wooden pier, surrounded by water? The incessant clouds hovering above made no impact on the weather, only adding to the nocturnal beauty of the New Jersey skyline.

Brooklyn’s The Antlers were the headliners at this week’s River Rocks Festival on Pier 54. With lines extending down two blocks, the patient audience waited not once, but twice.

But before The Antlers took the stage, Dinosaur Feathers chilled the crowds with some 50′s-inspired harmonies which reminded me of Little Joy. And then, the sound went out, due to a blown generator. As we waited, the guys suggested a sing-a-long. A unanimous decision could not be made on what song should be sung, but luckily, this was the toughest thing to take place during the night.

Once a yellow truck appeared rolling down the pier, with new generator in tow, the power was restored and it was all applause and love for Dinosaur Feathers, despite their abbreviated set, and they were given a chance to play one more tune. The trio put on some happy, mellow music that made you reminisce for a more retro era by dabbling in Motown that’s doused in tropical grooves.

The Antlers were quite a contrast, as their dark and slow, progressing sound crept up on you. It seems the dark lighting (meant to mirror the songs from their Hospice release?) was troublesome to keyboardist Darby Cicci, since he quickly requested more light.

The gradual increase in lighting did help… a lot. The Antlers put on an epic, dramatic show with their swaying, somewhat ominous, melodic sounds.

This is a band that knows how to blend controlled chaos with austere beauty.  Tonight’s show was perfectly performed under a foreboding sky.–Tear-n Tan/photos by Tear-n Tan

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