Kevin Bronson on April 14th, 2014

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Who: Neutral Milk Hotel at the Outdoor Theatre
In 3 or Fewer Words: Desert hymnal reverie
Memorable Because: There wasn’t a more lovely time to be had all weekend than when Jeff Mangum and his shambolic delegation of multi-instrumentalist vagrants reunited to soundtrack the setting sun over Indio. Cult favorites for their 1990s releases (including 1998’s “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea”) and notably scarce as a live act over the past 15 years, NMH attracted an eclectic crowd – some of the fresh-faced ones obviously having arrived early for “Video Games” darling Lana Del Rey. [Editor’s note: You could almost see Goldenvoice wink when they slotted these two acts back-to-back.] Solo renditions of “Two Headed Boy” parts first and second bookended Neutral Milk Hotel’s indie-folk fairytale. In between, songs like “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” and “The King of Carrot Flowers” were played by the full band with such sincerity and kindness as to soothe aching feet and burnt skin and induce serious outbreaks of goosebumps. Even Mangum, an introverted recluse, seemed to beam beneath his unkempt beard. After three frantic days of rock riots and electro raves, the baptismal cleansing of Neutral Milk Hotel’s singular sound was just perfect.
What I’d Tell My Friend Who Was At Neutral Milk Hotel, Camping Out For Lana Del Rey: “Only the shallow know themselves.” ~ Oscar Wilde
– Ben “Mouse” McShane (Photo: Since Mangum requested that no photos or video be taken during Neutral Milk Hotel’s set, we decided to share a photo of one fan who was totally into it.)