New Pornographers – Rialto Theater, AZ

In support of their latest album, the New Pornographers hit Tucson’s Rialto Theater Friday night supported by Awkward Stage and Lavender Diamond.

After a Classical Gas intro, the sign lit up and then… nothing. A few moments later the band took the stage and declared it the “best entrance of the entire tour.”

While there were many highlights, it was next to impossible to hear due to my proximity to the stage, so this is the best set list reconstruction I can do.

All Of The Things That Go To Make Heaven and Earth

Use It

At this point there was some discussion about the crowd which spawned a lot of love towards the stage, and Neko saying she felt very good about herself now.

Myriad Harbor

Electric Version

The band launched into a conversation about the Arctic Monkeys

All The Old Showstoppers

Another break to talk about Animal Collective, where it was decided that they were the best band ever, to which Neko said, “That’s what you said about Arcade Fire.”

(Something)

Challengers

Miss Teen Wordpower

My Rights vs Yours

During the song, Neko’s dog made a first appearance, wandering out onto the stage.

Stacked Crooked

The band started fishing for love, Kathyrn said she was feeling ugly, Neko said something about her poor GPA that she never brought up, and then about how it was the

first time since 1976 that the Canadian dollar was equal to the US dollar and that digressed to the years of jokes the Canadians have had to put up with and that now Americans would never visit.

Neko quipped that “they might have already decided that” and then the conversation fell apart to “it was written so it will be!” and about the dog of prophecy – the dog came back out – and Neko cooing “you’re not the bringer of the apocalypse are you?”

She proceeded to lie down with the dog for a moment, then got up and said that she didn’t want to “fucking hear from the PETA people” because the dog was deaf, that she liked the vibrations of rock and roll and that her ear drums burst a long time ago.

The Spirit Of Giving

Laws Have Changed

These Are The Fables

Twin Cinema

(Something)

Mutiny I Promised You