Went to the Twin Cities, and saw The Magnetic Fields April 23 and 24. For those not familiar with TMF, the band consists of seven members each who plays a multitude of instruments. They are said to be a "Baroque pop" band, but I think "Baroque folk pop" would be a more accurate description. They put on a stellar multimedia show, and what I could only call an "audio extravaganza" due to all of the different instruments and the quality of the live audio. One of the more unusual instruments was the Stroh violin (attached image). They had a several synths, many stringed instruments violins, cello, guitars, sitar guitar, etc., various horns, vibes, percussion, and various toys used for sound. I read that they use more than 50 instruments. On top of the instrumentation, excellent audio reproduction (played at a perfect level...not too loud), they had a beautiful stage set-up, and had a unique video for each of the 50 songs. Many of these videos can be seen on YouTube
The concert is called: 50 Songs: A Memoir. The first night they play the first 25 songs, and the second night the last 25. All of us agreed that the first night was the better of the two shows.
I bring this up, only because TMF will be playing on the West coast soon with stops in LA, SF, and Seattle (May 6 & 7). I would highly recommend the show, especially since the tickets are very reasonable. $30 each for each show at The Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul (the Fitzgerald is where they record Prairie Home Companion.) Anyway, the show cis one of the few that I feel should not be missed, and I think even the most discerning audiophile would be impressed with the audio quality.
