DALLAS The Austin-based quartet Explosions in the Sky were supposed to play under the stars a few weeks back at Annette Strauss Square in Dallas' downtown arts district but Mother Nature, in a fit of rain and wind, had other plans.
The group returned to North Texas Friday night but, wisely, played indoors at the neighboring Winspear Opera House, though this time there were other distractions: news of the final game of the World Series lighting up smartphones and the debut of Aurora, a visual and performance arts festival taking place all over the Arts District Friday night.
But EITS' epic, shimmeringly cinematic, instrumental guitar-rock managed to be compelling enough to hold the audience's rapt attention for 90 minutes. Playing tracks from various points in their career including the most recent disc, Take Care, Take Care, Take Care, the foursome -- expanded to five onstage -- cranked up its building, loud-soft-loud dynamics, creating a brutal beauty without destroying the songs' delicate grace.
From the metallic roar of Last Known Surroundings to the jazzy atmospherics of Let Me Back In, EITS played with passion and precision. With little to no downtime between songs, the concert often felt like one, long piece coursing through moods and movements.
One complaint though: No encore. Come on, guys!
Opening band Burning Hotels play in a very different style. The Fort Worth group's driving, infectious, '80s-influenced rock is miles away from EITS' moody dreamscapes. Still, despite the occasional cry of "Let's go, Rangers!" coming from the crowd, they won over the audience with a wily energy.
