Nickel Creek put on an intimate warm-up show at Largo at the Coronet for a lucky crowd on Wednesday who packed into the Los Angeles theater for an evening of slick, riveting folk music.
At first it seemed impossible: How could such a good band play in such a small venue? At 280 seats, the Largo is much smaller than the high school auditorium that was regularly subjected to my bands' covers of jazz, reggae, and the like.
The group is on tour with Kacey Musgraves, so this show was sandwiched between a show in San Diego and two at the Forum in Inglewood. They interspersed songs from their new album, “Celebrants,” between recognizable hits, exposing the crowd of about 250 to new material while also conveying plenty of nostalgia for past releases.
With all four band members sharing one microphone, they opened with some crowd favorites, including “Smoothie Song,” one of the most technical instrumental pieces ever played by a folk band.
Nickel Creek's songs have a theatrical quality: many tell a story and some are quite funny. I'd never noticed the comedy in recorded lyrics, probably because the band's recordings always instantly grab me with the boldness of the instrumentals they feature. For example, “To the Airport,” a song about flying, was really fun and musically complex. It's a tightrope act that few, if any, artists can pull off. If Weird Al had gone to Berklee and met three other Weird Als, this song could have been the result.
“Thinnest Wall” was probably the biggest hit from “Celebrants,” released in 2023.
After playing the album from start to finish, the band accepted requests from the public. And I mean, I really took them. Summoning such challenging and intricate music in the blink of an eye is another of the band's magic tricks. This included a rousing version of Britney Spears’ “Toxic,” which was probably the musical low point of the night. Although the cover was pristine and audiences loved it, using precious moments of Nickel Creek's time to make something simple felt like a waste. The song simply isn't complicated enough for the band to show off their skills.
There are some concerts where the technical mastery on display melts my face from the start. This was one of those nights, assuming a place in the chops pantheon alongside acts like Thundercat and Anderson Paak.
In these cases, my amazement is usually reserved for one or two band members. However, Nickel Creek is made up of four truly exceptional musicians, and three of them sing complex harmonies while playing mandolin, fiddle, and guitar, respectively. Altogether, it was the most dazzling display of musical talent I have ever seen.
As for the crowd, no one sang and the applause was mainly between songs, while everyone concentrated on listening to the exquisitely intricate strumming. The venue prohibits phones, so it was a pleasure to see a crowd massed on stage without hundreds of small screens recording poor facsimiles of the live event.
Nickel Creek is first and foremost a live band. Although I have loved their albums for decades, any recording involves the use of production tricks and multiple tracks to make the sound possible. So I wasn't prepared for the idea that their studio albums might have been recorded live. The performance on stage left me in awe, ready to believe almost anything.
Writing this review was difficult because I'd rather keep the secret to myself: the best live band available in Los Angeles plays a small venue from time to time. Next time they do it, we may be competing for limited seats. I can only hope they keep doing it, for the sake of the music.
