Scenes From Last Night's Future Islands and Talk Normal Show at the Prophet Bar.

Yesterday morning, Jack Gilbert, a great American poet, died at the age of 87.

Later that night, before Future Islands began playing their first song, “Give Us The Wind,” at Dallas' Prophet Bar, vocalist Samuel Herring dedicated his band's set to the poet.

It wasn't an altogether surprising move. The synth-pop/new wave band from Baltimore is known for their emotive and affecting lyrics. And this night showcased just that side of the band.

No doubt drawing inspiration from Herring, who aggressively dances and jumps around the stage while throwing punches in the air as he performs, the crowd itself — or at least those immediately surrounding the small Prophet Bar stage — couldn't contain themselves, creating an almost mosh pit at they danced. And yet, without fail, the mood continuously returned to a jovial point between songs.

Also continuous throughout the set? The unrelenting requests of songs by impatient, but joking audience members. Herring took this all in stride, though, explaining that “there has to be a little foreplay before jumping into the goods.”

So, after leaving the stage for a brief pre-encore respite, the band returned to the spotlight to offer up a final three-song set based on the requests, and beginning with “Vireo's Eye.”

Next came “The Great Fire,” which Herring explained was based on a Gilbert poem called “The Great Fires.” To say that the performance of this particular song was exceptionally emotional compared with the rest of the set is probably an understatement. And that means a lot, given the set's high emotions throughout. Still, it's true: As the chorus began and the crowd sang what would be Jenn Wasner's portion, Herring only encouraged them to sing it even louder.

Fortunately, the night ended on a lighter note — as light as Future Islands can achieve, at least — as the band played “Old Friend” from their album Wave Like Home. By the time that song finished, it seemed an apt way to describe everyone in the room.



















2840_2

2840_3

2840_4

2840_5

2840_6

2840_7

2840_8

2840_9

2840_10

2840_11

2840_12

2840_13

2840_14

2840_15

2840_16

2840_17

2840_18

2840_19

2840_20

2840_21

2840_22

2840_23

2840_24

2840_25

2840_26

2840_27

2840_28

2840_29

2840_30

2840_31

2840_32

2840_33

2840_34

2840_35

2840_36

2840_37

2840_38

2840_39

2840_40

2840_41

2840_42

2840_43

2840_44

2840_45

2840_46

2840_47

2840_48

2840_49

2840_50

No more articles