Photo: Diana Sabreen
Destroyer’s Dan Bejar Studiously Ignores Self-destructive Behavior at Show
There wasn’t much singing along to Destroyer’s set last night at the Music Hall of Williamsburg — not with lyrics like “A cathedral sick of the sky again says to it, ‘Oh please, not now, will you just look at the time, it’s standing still.’” That front man Dan Bejar, who also plays with the pop-centric New Pornographers, threw his share of la-la-las in there, too, made him seem no less intent on proving how seriously he takes his lesser-known gig. He performed much of the show with his eyes closed, in a kind of trance, apparently unfazed by constant streams of pot smoke, a minor fight by the stage, and a guy in the balcony who performed interpretive dances to the music while leaning dangerously far over the edge. Still, despite his Earth Day–friendly low-energy output, Bejar spent the five or more minutes that many of his songs last building up to epic finishes. And what’s that we spied flickering across his face — the occasional smile? Like his lyrics, it spoke volumes. —Elizabeth Black Destroyer’s Dan Bejar Studiously Ignores Self-destructive Behavior at Show