MJ Lenderman and the Wind at Music Hall of Williamsburg [Photos]

Last night, MJ Lenderman and the Wind capped off a generational three-night run at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York. It was a seminal weekend, a proper toast to Lenderman’s year as indie rock’s latest poster child. Featuring an opening set from Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band, it’s surprising that all of that rock ‘n’ roll didn’t pop the roof off. Lenderman and his band made good use of their time, delivering a 20-song set that blew through Manning Fireworks, pulled out some deep cuts (“No Mercy,” “Inappropriate”) and even finished with a Halloween-themed cover of “Werewolves of London.” It was a night for the ages, with nothing but heaters played in succession. There might not be a live sequence greater than “TLC Cagematch,” “Joker Lips,” “Pianos,” “She’s Leaving You” and “No Mercy,” and we should all be thankful Lenderman gifted us with a run that special.

At the beginning of September, Lenderman released his fourth studio album, Manning Fireworks, which garnered a 9.2/10 score and has, quite honestly, only gotten better in the near-two months since. “MJ Lenderman is a compassionate narrator, finding humor and levity in the most pathetic of situations,” Paste contributor Andy Steiner wrote in his review. “On album closer ‘Bark at the Moon,’ he sings about never leaving his room and staying up late playing Guitar Hero. He admits that ‘You’re sick of the shtick,’ but still hopes that this person, nailing the notes of Ozzy Osbourne’s titular banger on expert, can also grow up. Lenderman lives up to his rising indie stardom, and Manning Fireworks confirms his status as a premier storyteller of broken hearts and bruised egos. But he also isn’t going to be anyone’s ‘dudes rock’ champion. No one can simplify this album down to its drinks and hangovers. Lenderman considers the flaws of the dudes he writes about, seeing them at their worst and still giving them grace.”

Earlier this month, Lenderman was named a Paste cover star. “Lenderman doesn’t have a Shakespearean explanation for the ins and outs of his craft,” music editor Matt Mitchell wrote. “It’s the vocation that’s profound. The decision to pursue that vocation is profound too. The contradicting forces of desire and mourning in a song like ‘Joker Lips’ can stir a thousand different reactions from a thousand different people. Good music finds a way, and may we all take our time in a moment like this—where someone like Lenderman can wax poetic about Johnny Napalm, Lars Ümlaüt, Axel Steel and Xavier Stone in one sentence and then beautifully explain how he and his longtime collaborator/producer Alex Farrar ‘don’t have to say too much together to get where they’re trying to go’ in the music right after. Very rarely has phenomenal, provocative art come with such little pretense. ‘It falls apart, we all got work to do’ endures because most of us know how much both parts of that clause hurt.

Check out our photos from Lenderman’s Music Hall of Williamsburg performance, captured by Emilio Herce, below.