For so long, it looked certain that it was never going to happen. Sure, we all clung to the hope that Jeff Mangum would make a return to music, but he seemed so staunchly against the idea that most people moved on, left only with the daydream of how wonderful it would be to see him performing live. Last night, however, something amazing happened. In benefit of Chris Knox, a New Zealand musician who recently suffered a stroke, Mangum performed a set of five Neutral Milk Hotel songs.
The footage that has emerged is far from fantastic - no cameras were allowed into the venue, and the policy was intended to include even mobile phone cameras. Consequently, the picture quality is far from fantastic, and "Oh Comely" aside, the songs are cut off before they're finished - only a minute of "Two-Headed Boy Part Two" has been captured, and nothing of "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea" and "Engine" has so far emerged. Somehow, it's still enough. It'd be foolish to speculate that this marks a return to performing for Mangum; chances are, this is a one off, and he'll return to his reclusive ways and we'll be left to wonder what might have been. Still, I take comfort in knowing that he's doing fine.
The footage that has emerged is far from fantastic - no cameras were allowed into the venue, and the policy was intended to include even mobile phone cameras. Consequently, the picture quality is far from fantastic, and "Oh Comely" aside, the songs are cut off before they're finished - only a minute of "Two-Headed Boy Part Two" has been captured, and nothing of "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea" and "Engine" has so far emerged. Somehow, it's still enough. It'd be foolish to speculate that this marks a return to performing for Mangum; chances are, this is a one off, and he'll return to his reclusive ways and we'll be left to wonder what might have been. Still, I take comfort in knowing that he's doing fine.
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