(a) setlist

1. (Drunn)
2. Past Lives
3. Human
4. When You Sleep (My Bloody Valentine cover)
5. Healthy Moon
6. Dopamine
7. Judge (Alex G cover)
8. Summertime (Girls cover) (with Tommy Gardner)
9. Needle in the Hay (Elliott Smith cover)
10. Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime (Beck cover)
11. Sometime
12. Hollow (Alex G cover)
13. Earthboy
14. How Long Have You Known?
15. Loose Ends
16. Under the Sun
17. Home
18. Wait (with Tommy Gardner)

(b) highlights

• this is the first time I’ve seen DIIV and given their sound a chance, and it was so cool
• the intimacy of this performance at Murmrr was mindblowing; it truly felt like I was invited to someone’s apartment for an intimate, private acoustic gig
• the art and visual component of this show was so incredible that the moment the show ended, I immediately found the artist in the balcony who was manipulating the ink and paint that was being projected on the sheet behind the performance. it was amazing.
• lead singer Zachary Cole Smith was such a compelling figure during the show, opening up about his sobriety, recovery, and self-awareness in performing. it was quite refreshing.

(c) lowlights

• there was nothing I really disliked about the performance, other than maybe Murmrr is basically in the middle of nowhere Brooklyn

 

(d) overall thoughts

I ended up going to this show because a friend of mine is a huge DIIV fan. I really like walking into shows blind, especially when I’m with a friend who loves the artist. It makes me excited to experience the show through my friend’s eyes.

Without a doubt, the best part of this performance was the overwhelming intimacy of the space and sound. The acoustic softness partnered with the beautiful live art projecting on the stage made the overall stage design so unique and momentous. Layers of carpets, dimly-lit lamps, and a messy coffee table with personal items and trinkets created the perfect stage – as if the show was a living play.

When Zachary softly sang his personal songs – and even threw in a couple of favorites from songwriters Alex G and Elliott Smith – I felt like I could feel every emotion pour out of him. Every couple of songs, he would whisper into the mic, “God I’m so nervous” and it instantly endeared him to everyone. Despite the heavy subject matter of many of the lyrics, the band kept it light by joking together and bringing up that reality show staple Big Brother. It was hard not to smile that night.

Whoever’s idea it was to include a few artists up in the balcony, dripping and manipulating color and paint on screens and canvases that would reflect on a screen behind the stage – please know that you’re a genius. Every song felt like it had even more meaning and weight when it was coupled with swirling colors telling their own story.

Bottom line: DIIV is such a unique group of people willing to open up and bare their souls in a way that felt refreshing and off-the-cuff without the hint of calculation. The artistry of combining colorful visuals with a personalized stage design and acoustic takes on songs created a beautiful space and unforgettable night.