The guys of Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin self-deprecatingly call themselves the “third best band on Weller St.” on Twitter in reference to the Springfield, Mo., neighborhood where they got their start in high school. After self-releasing its 2005 full-length album _Broom_ and snagging some critical praise from SPIN magazine, the band took off in the way many indie bands do – it became internationally famous while remaining some hometown’s best kept secret.
The band played to a packed audience Wednesday on the rooftop of the Missouri Theatre, marking the first time the 84-year-old historic Columbia landmark has hosted a rooftop show. It seemed all too perfect of a pairing: a hit band from two hours away playing on the roof of a historic Missouri venue, all while an audience consisting of mostly college kids scarfed down free pizza as the sun set on one of the first of many summer nights to come.
With an inaugural rooftop show comes some trial and error, and the band experienced a few technical errors during the first quarter of the show. Much of the band’s twee appeal rests in vocal harmonies between drummer and vocalist Phil Dickey and guitarist and vocalist John Robert Cardwell – a harmony that was interrupted a few times because of technical issues. But loyal fans had the guys covered, belting out lyrics to favorite songs like 2008’s “Think I Wanna Die” when Cardwell’s mic went out.
The band played a mix of old sing-along favorites like “Pangea” and “Oregon Girl” from _Broom_, newer songs from their most recent effort – 2010’s _Let It Sway_, released on Polyvinyl – and debuted new material in the works.
In the past, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin has played almost every Columbia music venue, including a free concert at Forrest Rose Park two years ago. Even though the band has toured the world, there’s a sense of homecoming each time the band plays at one of Columbia’s venues. Wednesday’s show started off with “We Can Win Missouri” and included a few shout outs to Springfield, Mo., natives in the audience. Dickey dedicated the song “Everlyn” to them specifically, resulting in appreciative whoops of more than a few in the crowd.
After ending the set with “Sink/Let It Sway” from their 2010 release, the guys came back for an encore of three songs before calling it quits. A few in the crowd protested the end of the show and yelled out requests, to which a sweaty Dickey responded, “That’s like, all the songs we know. Come inside, we’re gonna party.”