On tour in support of his new full-length album, Strange Negotiations, David Bazan and his band played two shows in the Twin Cities on June 6. First, he and bassist Andy Fitts played a short acoustic set at the Apple Store in Uptown, Minneapolis. Later they were joined by drummer Alex Westcott for a full band set at St. Paul’s Turf Club.

Bazan and co. always finds a way to shed light on old songs and impress with performances of new. For this trip, the band stripped down to the necessities, a decision in line with the overall concept of Strange Negotiations. The album is full of messages concerned with over-complication caused by today’s technology and social-media-based culture. It searches somewhat doubtfully and, in lighter moments, hopefully for simpler and more intimate and honest interactions between people. In almost every way, the performances mirrored these sentiments.

Most impressively, the three-piece was able to pull off Bazan’s complicated songs by having Fitts and Westcott play multiple instruments at the same time. Fitts played bass and sang perfect harmonies as usual, but when another guitar sound was needed he kicked his bass into distortion and played the bass part with his feet on a few pedals below. Westcott not only played all the drum parts while staring into a visual monitor to keep pace with prerecorded samples – an already amazing feat – he also put one drumstick down every once in a while so he could play keyboard with his left hand and drums with his right.

As always, Bazan called upon audience members to ask questions. When asked why he does so, he replied that he simply likes to make sure he’s connected with the people who are coming to his shows. Especially surprising to long-time followers and those who have seen Bazan multiple times, the crowd was also treated to some on-stage antics, including a few timed jumps by the singer, and a bit of preplanned stuttering. During the song, “When They Really Get To Know You, They Will Run,” from 1998′s It’s Hard to Find a Friend, Bazan stopped after the lyric, “I’m starting to think that I’m kind of shy,” sniffled a couple times, and then met the band back in stride to finish the song. Overall, the performance was powerful and impressive, and it contributed to the band’s vision on Strange Negotiations. For fans who’ve watched him develop over the years, it was also refreshing to see Bazan looser on stage, having a little fun while sharing his iconic songs.

Please enjoy our shots below. Photos by Zach Oliphant. Above show review by Andy Plank.