I am by no means a die-hard fan of Cold War Kids. In fact, I’ve only heard two of the tracks off their ’06 release “Cowards and Robbers.” Their first hit “Hang Me Up To Dry,” quite frankly, didn’t inspire me to run out and buy their album. After hearing their single, "Hospital Beds," on Indie 103.1 FM (Los Angeles) for the first time just one month ago (I know, I’m way behind on the indie-rock scene), it has been incessantly running through my head. Consumed by the commanding voice of singer Nathan Willett, his simple yet effective piano accompaniment mixed with the sparse yet powerful percussive hits of drummer Matt Aviero, I followed my new-found fascination with CWK to the Henry Fonda Theater in Hollywood.

I arrived at the show fashionably late around 8:45 PM on Wednesday the 24th with

photographer-friend Amelia Sellers in tow. We proceeded to the front of the stage (mildly inebriated from the bottle of wine we shared just minutes before) and assessed the crowd. The floor was a mess of people ranging in age from their late teens to late 30s. A general mix of business professionals, hipsters, and students blanketed the floor to 90% capacity for the opening band (or maybe it was the second band). Either way, it wasn’t Cold War Kids, so Amelia and I took this opportunity to explore the rooftop bar and order ourselves another drink.

It was at this point, even upon intense brain racking and fact checking with Amelia, that I am left with only bits and pieces of solid memory from this night. I remember

returning to the main floor. I remember Cold War Kids coming on to the stage for their opening song (the title of that song is still unknown). I remember talking to the kid next to me about photography. I remember spilling wine on his shoe and then on myself. I remember apologizing for that. Then I remember buying another drink and returning to the rooftop bar (with Amelia) where we spent the majority of CWK’s set.

The nice thing about the rooftop bar was that it was equipped with a giant screen televising the show and a decent sound system. Although, it’s not the experience that most people look for in a live show, it did offer me the chance to sit on a comfy couch, discuss music with a few random folk, and tune in to the show when my drunken A.D.D. allowed.

I will say that as soon as I heard “Hospital Beds”, I immediately jumped up and made my way to the mezzanine. I was surprised to find a few open seats in the front where Amelia and I immediately planted ourselves for a while. The entire audience seemed to be singing along. It was, without a doubt, the favorite song of the night. Amelia snapped a few more photos and we enjoyed the remainder of the show from the mezzanine. The final songs were played along side the opening acts. Brass
instruments and violin made for a fantastic finale. Maybe there wasn’t a violin.

All-in-all, a great night. I wish I could remember more of it.