Kevin Bronson on April 16th, 2011

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Who: Cold War Kids at the Outdoor Theatre
In 3 or Fewer Words: Lukewarm War Kids.
I’ll Remember This Until: I can get back home and dig into the kinetic anthems of the group’s new record. A surprisingly slow-moving set from such a festival-honed band, the Cold War Kids’ performance was anchored by a setlist a little too heavy on midtempo plodders to truly capture the sweaty rock ’n’ roil that the soulful L.A. quartet normally does so effortlessly. Packed tight with tunes from the band’s new album, “Mine Is Yours” (including the percolating barnburner, “Bulldozer”), the Kids’ outing got better as it rolled along, hitting a cathartic stride with a sunset performance of “Loyalty to Loyalty’s” “I’ve Seen Enough” (“How’s it gonna feel when summer ends?” became a goose-bumped crowd chant), with the song’s serpentine throb and thrash, bound together with frontman Nathan Willett’s vocal swoons, capping off a sunburned day of art and music. It was a lovely moment of desert-hued cathedral blues, one that would have done well to color the band’s entire set, rather than just the joyous back half.
What I’d Tell My Friends Who Only Managed To Catch The Great Second Half Of The Set Because They Were There To See Brandon Flowers Next: Really, you guys? Really?
– Travis Woods
Photo by Jim Donnelly