José González and The Göteborg String Theory @ Royce Hall (March 4 2017) // Show Review
Written By: Frankie Tyska
Post Date: 3/13/17
On March 4, I went to go see José González perform with The Göteborg String Theory at Royce Hall. I have been a fan of José González for quite some time now, but I had never even heard of The Göteborg String Theory. I’m so glad I went, however, because The Göteborg String Theory added a super interesting and surprising dimension to González ’s acoustic songs.
Most songs began softly, focusing on a certain area of TGST’s instrumentation. Sometimes percussion would bellow, other times violins would swell up. González would enter about a third through the song, piercing the symphony sweetly with his vibrato-less voice. A key focal point of the show was towards the back of the stage - some of the percussion used was very experimental, straying from rhythmic normalcy and traditional instruments. There were occasional solos from different pockets of the orchestra, adding texture to the performance.
Although I thought that I would crave for González to do his songs alone, I actually really loved, and maybe even preferred, TGST’s contribution to his work. They made otherwise simple songs feel intricate and emotionally complex. The extravagance of added instrumentation, however, stripped González’s songs of the intimacy they possessed in his recordings. Despite this step away from his personal emotion, I felt that the orchestra added an element to the songs that made them more personal and applicable to any individual audience member.
González was calm, somewhat shy, and very focused. He rarely made comments and didn’t create much of a connection with the audience. I didn’t dislike this - I’m sure it was a stylistic choice - but I would have really enjoyed learning more about the process he used when collaborating with TGST, or just about him in general. I actually felt more drawn to the conductor, one of the most youthful and energetic I have ever seen, using his whole body to let the beat pulse through him.
The arrangements that were played in the show were dramatic and interesting, but as much as I enjoyed them, I really wish that there was a visual element that would have rounded out the performance. Some sort of set, projection, or light show would have added an element of theatricality and would have made the night at Royce Hall much more of an all-encompassing experience.
I left the hall with the type of elation that usually fills my body after seeing a really good show. Everything except for the past two hours was erased from my mind. I walked home refreshed and really happy. There were some things I may have changed about the show, but I feel this way about most shows, so I would have to give my night at Royce Hall a solid 8 out of 10.
Thanks to CAP UCLA for a really unique show, and for that clutch student discount!
