I’m still reeling from this show.

I had heard of Cloud Cult via KEXP, but they hadn’t made enough of an impression on me that I’d been awaiting this show with the enthusiasm I had reserved for Explosions in the Sky or The National. It’s situations like this – where you’ve got no particular expectations – that you’re susceptible to truly overwhelming experiences, which is what I was treated to on Wednesday night.

It was my first trip to the Knitting Factory, which is close to the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue. It’s essentially the heart of what most people consider Hollywood, featuring a laundry list of familiar landmarks: the Walk of Fame, Mann’s Chinese Theater, the Kodak Theater (permanent home of the Academy Awards), the El Capitan Theater. The Hollywood Bowl is just a short walk up Highland. As a venue, the Knitting Factory is nothing particularly special. The area surrounding the main stage is about the same size as the Troubadour, featuring an inaccessible balcony lined with enameled chicken wire and half-shaded incandescent bulbs. The crowd was very homogenous – relaxed twentysomethings with few ostentatious hipster or misplaced club-set costumes on display. (more…)