It’s a few minutes before Spiritualized hit the stage. Every corner of Webster Hall is full, and the crowd is just about who you’d expect: in front of me are two people doing the New York Times crossword puzzle and one person playing online chess. This tour’s set up is a bit odd, but acoustically convenient—all the members of the band are arranged in an upside down U, leaving an empty space in the middle. There are no openers to sit through, and finally the band members walk onstage. Lead singer Jason Pierce is last onstage, dark glasses covering his eyes before he heads wordlessly toward his spot on the far right of the U, sitting on what looks like a very comfortable office chair.
More than 30 years since the start of Spiritualized, Pierce isn’t trying to relive the madness of the 90s. The singer has been very vocal about the toll that drug use took on his body and the band—the shift in mindset is visible in his demeanor. His chair is supportive and the lyrics to each song are printed, bound together in a binder he flips through between songs.
The night is starry both outside and in Webster Hall. Small lights twinkle against the dark blue curtain behind the stars onstage. After a few minutes of set up, the music begins: “Hey Jane”, off of their 2012 album Sweet Heart Sweet Light. It’s only the first song, but already the band isn’t shying away from their signature volume. As the concert goes on, the sound never falters, but there is a lack of stage presence. Most of the energy comes from the trio of background singers, whose choreos are the liveliest thing onstage. 
Still, the sheer wall of sound Spiritualized is able to capture supersedes any expectation for a visual spectacle one might have. Hearing the start of “I’m Coming Home Again” is possibly the most beautiful sound I have ever heard. Though the recorded albums are known for their acoustic prowess, it is a different beast in person.
The main bother, unfortunately, comes from the light show. Instead of leaning into a more placid performance that understandably comes after decades of touring, an over-the-top display of incessant flashing strobe lights that only grow more intense with each song feels like an overcompensation. Save for that, it’s a peaceful show offstage too. The crowd is an expected group of headbobbers: a calm atmosphere, but perhaps a bit disconnected from the raw sonic magic happening onstage.
Regardless of the passage of time, Spiritualized has absolutely not lost what brought them to fame in the first place. This night’s rendition of “I’m Your Man” transcends the recorded version—the layered voices come together into pure enchantment when they’re only a few feet away. The signature extensive guitar solos were hypnotizing, though they may have been upstaged by the outstanding harmonica(!!!) solo in “The Morning After.”
Webster may not be the largest hall, but Spiritualized has a way of using every inch of the space. After the show, another concertgoer who claimed to have gone to several of their shows before, puts it well: they always manage to make the room bigger.
And it’s true. After raucous applause, Spiritualized returns for their encore, which has stayed fairly constant throughout this tour. Neither of the two songs were a surprise for those who frequent setlist.fm, but it doesn’t matter – hits are hits. Hearing “Come Together” live can only be summarized by my concert notes: “SO! GOOD!”
For those who are casual Spiritualized listeners or unfamiliar with them at all (which would be odd considering the astronomical ticket prices, but Manhattan will Manhattan), this concert may not have been the one to begin with—if one is looking for an introductory show replete with dancing and stage presence, perhaps opt for a recording of their shows from the 90s. But for sonic prowess, this concert was pure magic. Dare I say… spiritual?