By the end of the eighties, New Haven, Connecticut’s Miracle Legion had assembled a cult-like fan base with the rise of independent college radio stations and alternative rock bands like The Replacements and Sonic Youth. From 1984 to 1997 the group would release a handful of albums and a number of EP’s, earning praise as seminal recordings by critics and contemporaries alike. The band ultimately broke up to pursue side projects, leaving their faithful followers with no choice except to settle for R.E.M.
Two decades later and by some act of fate, Miracle Legion has reformed for a new album, an extended, twenty-five track compilation of live recordings ominously entitled Annulment and what all indications point to as their final tour. This past Friday evening the slightly older, but no less youthful Miracle Legion played to a packed house of rowdy revelers at Manhattan’s Bowery Ballroom for what many in attendance felt could very well be their last New York City performance.
After receiving a genuinely warm welcome to the stage, guitarist Ray Neal, better known to Miracle Legion fans as Mr. Ray, began the unmistakable opening lick to “Country Boy”, a favorite from the group’s 1987 release, Surprise Surprise Surprise. Wiley frontman Mark Mulcahy joined in with a few eerie accents on his mouth harp before leading the quartet into the first verse, singing with a hushed purity, “All I ever wanted was the girl next door”. Like all the best Miracle Legion songs, the poetic lyrics coupled with the innocence of Mulcahy’s vocal delivery immediately invoked a sense of fleeting yet formative childhood memories as a wave of nostalgia swept through the audience.
Mulcahy gave a dynamic and moving performance and could best be described as a sort of rock n’ roll snake charmer. Slipping into a seemingly bewitched state, the lead singer stomped and jigged about the stage sporadically, adding light touches of harmonica here and there as the group rifled through their catalog of work with songs like “Say Hello”, “Out to Play”, and “Homer”. The enchanted crowd tracked Mulcahy’s movements and listened intently to his wordy ramblings with the wonder and glee of a toddler listening to a Dr. Suess tale.
Standout moments from the sentimental, nearly two hour set included “The Backyard”, the title track to Miracle Legion’s debut album, which they played with enough unabashed enthusiasm to make you think it was a brand new song. Then there was Mulcahy’s mid-set musings on the nature of setlists and how yelling out your favorite song makes the band feel bad when its not included on the list, and “Mr.Mingo”, Mark’s ode to his deceased childhood dog in which he weaves his lyrics intricately around Mr. Ray’s signature arpeggio guitar playing.
The show culminated beautifully with another classic, “All For The Best”, and as the members of Miracle Legion left the stage they were exalted with chants of “we love you” from the emotional crowd who, seemingly still under the group’s spell, didn’t budge and continued their applause until the house lights flicked on a few minutes later and staff members started shooing people towards the door.
