AT LAST

Idaho performed for a audience for the first time in two years at Portland's North by Northwest Festival. They played two shows on a Thursday and one the next Saturday in San Francisco. Then it was over. But some bands know how to make the most of their time.

They assembled a all-star line-up for the three show tour (not to be confused with the Red House Painters' three hour tour, in which they played three hour sets). Drumming for Idaho this time around was the impeccable Joey Waronker, who has worked with Beck, Spain, Walt Mink, REM, and others. His timing is perfect and he adds a little power in only the most appropriate places, carving out the rhythm of Idaho's music, and making it that much more complete in the concert setting. Jerry DiRienzo (bass) and Christy Schnabel (keyboards, samples, backing vocals) are bandmates in Ugly Beauty and also engaged to each other. They were solid performers as well, and a great addition to the roster. Christy's backing vocals were consistent despite not being able to hear herself. They also brought out the fullness of recorded Idaho, and made it clear that the music would be lacking without their efforts.  The first show, at Portland record store Music Millenium, in the afternoon, drew only a modest crowd, but the volumes were low, giving the songs a somewhat stripped-down feel, which is rare for Idaho. Jeff Martin's singing was unsure and shaky, which helped the words to come across as even more pained and sincere than usual. It was a remarkable treat for longtime fans to hear them in the quieter setting of a small room.

Later that night, at Portland's Satyricon, the band was in full attack mode. Despite Dan using his (custom-made 4-string) guitars as vaulting poles to jump up onto the stage, the sound was full and rich, with the new songs, such as Shoulder Back and Tensile, filling the room with the kind of triumphant power Idaho's fan base has come to expect.

Their closer, A Sound Awake, from Three Sheets to the Wind (96's full-length CD on Caroline) left a enormous impact on the crowd with a tightly structured and intricate jam backed by the haunting howlings of Dan Seta's controlled feedback.

There were times when it was impossible to tell where certain noises were coming from. It seemed like they were conjuring up ghosts and foreign sounds that felt safe joining the textures that had been created on a night when heat lightning had been flashing silently across the sky.

Two days later, at SF's Bottom of the Hill, the band wrapped up the tour with another dependably solid show. They had some problems with the sound in their monitors, leading to some confused looks on their faces, but the sound in the room was flawless as usual. And at all three shows, the musicians had plenty of time to gab with anyone who came up to them, always showing their gratefulness to the fans.

Idaho's live shows are always all-around rewarding events, and you should not miss them when they tour for their new album, ALAS (pushed back to Oct. 25th, Buzz Records). They have already begun recording their next CD and are planning to tour early next year.