Photos: Chloe Catajan

SAN FRANCISCO − Built to Spill literally couldn’t wait to start its Noise Pop performance on Tuesday, beginning their set before The Fillmore even had time to turn down the house lights.

Halfway through their first song, “The Plan,” it was clear the Boise, Idaho rock band wasn’t stopping for anything. Built to Spill proceeded to play their fourth full-length album, 1999’s Keep It Like a Secret, in its entirety. The group even threw in exclusive tracks only released on the vinyl issue, which was a treat. By the second song, “Center of the Universe,” the sold-out crowd (it was so jam-packed, even Noise Pop warned its own staff that there might not be room for them) was in full sing-along mode.

Built To Spill.

Keep It Like a Secret is a powerful album, indicative of everything ’90s music had to offer. Songs like “Sidewalk” and “Bad Light” exemplify some critical styles of the era through its math rock guitar riffs, slightly grungy breakdowns and an all-encompassing Northwest sound. Other tunes like “Time Trap” are classic late rock ballads of the time.

In between songs, frontman Doug Martsch took some time to appreciate the audience. “Thank you everyone for coming out tonight,” Martsch expressed, reaching an arm out. “And thanks to Noise Pop for having us.”

The rest of the set included obvious fan favorites like “You Were Right,” which set off instant cheering and applause from the crowd. The track includes many intended clichés and references to songs by artists such as The Rolling Stones, Kansas and Bob Seger.

Built to Spill’s encore included three Keep It Like a Secret B-sides, including “Forget Remember When,” the most memorable. Throughout the night, the band was able to warm the hearts of the audience with a road trip through time back to 1999, as they performed a charming take on their masterpiece Keep It Like a Secret. 

Built to Spill veteran guest bandmate, Sam Coomes, opened the show with an intimate set. Coomes played a fair amount of his seven-song set with his eyes closed, feeling the music more than his audience. Booming synths accompanied powerful storytelling in what felt more like a comfortable recording session than a live performance. Most of the material came from the catalog of his former band, Thee Quasi.

Sam Coomes.

Coomes also played a beautiful rendition of the 1966 Frank Sinatra classic “That’s Life.” At one point he steered away from the written lyrics, singing, “I still think about suicide honey/ But my heart just won’t buy it.”

He curated a perfectly wistful performance that culminated in him standing up, thanking the crowd, and leaving the stage without any fanfare. Coomes’ set was a perfect segue into Built To Spill.

Follow writer Piper Westrom at Twitter.com/plwestrom. Follow editor Chloe Catajan at Instagram.com/riannachloe and Twitter.com/riannachloe.