The Many Sounds of Michael Gira 

“I am the best fucking fuck that you ever will hear.” - Michael Gira 

Marathon Beggar Tour

Some would call it pretentious but we call it art. This Sunday, May 5, 2024, Swans took the stage at Soundwell in downtown Salt Lake. The experience was transcending and even that is an understatement. With a luxurious wall of sound, the band cast a spell on the crowd as they performed their set.

Michael Gira is the man behind it all but it would be a shame not to mention the phenomenal musicians creating these sounds along with him. I couldn’t keep my eyes off the bassist, Christopher Pravdica, who seemed to be having the time of his life playing on stage. When going to see a concert I always hope for someone like him to keep on top of the music and he never failed to bring the energy to the room. Other members playing tonight included Kristof Hahn, who opened with his own set before getting back on stage to perform with his long time friend and bandmate Michael Gira, Phil Puleo on drums, and Norman Westberg on Guitar. A truly talented team of musicians, it’s needless to say they put on a great show.

Swans has been creating music for many years with records dating back to the 80s. Living through several eras of music, all generations of music lovers gathered together tonight to hear these ethereal, ambient sounds. It was a joy to be among the crowd, conversing with long-time fans from the 80s, and later watching reactions from other audience members as I could see exactly when the music was seeping through their skin. I could just feel the vibrations through my bones as if it were some kind of right of passage into his kingdom. Specifically, I recall seeing a young audience member with their hands to the sky, as if in prayer, shaking and jutting them randomly; they did this for almost the entirety of the band's lineup. 

The setlist was stacked with music of the old and new. Evolving since the beginning of their tour, some of these tracks included: The Beggar, The Hanging Man, Guardian Spirit, and Birthing. Each song, one after another, left an eerie feeling inside of me that I couldn’t shake away.

“I am Madonna”

The orchestration Swans brings is unmatched. They stretch the limits of experimentalism and bring it to a whole new level. If you think you know what’s going to happen next at one of their concerts… think again.

Gira’s vocals are unlike any other and his control alone is unreal. The overall tone left such a feeling of psychedelia it's needless to say the band took a hold of the audience from the very beginning. With gestural movement, Gira acted as a conductor bringing the musicians together to create a beacon of sound throughout the space. In doing this, the audience was in motion as he whipped his hands through the air allowing for us to become a part of the show as well.

After the show, Gira came out into the crowd to meet fans and give us a once in a lifetime experience. Something that many artists of his status wouldn’t usually do, it was an honor to be face to face with him. What made it even better is he didn’t just meet and chat with us but he also signed merch or any object fans could find including a lemon someone had brought in. It was a truly remarkable experience; I am a changed person after today.