Walking into Finney Chapel last Saturday night, there was no denying the kinetic energy. I arrived early enough to secure a front row seat to what would be one of the biggest shows that Oberlin has seen in many years. Like electrons with nowhere to go, the crowd eventually gave up and transferred its energy towards the stage. When renowned guitarist Bill Frisell took the stage, the sound was released into the massive hall, filling every space.

Frisell, along with bassist Viktor Krauss and drummer Kenny Wollesen, was unreal. There was almost no verbal communication with the enormous audience, and there did not appear to be a set list. We didn’t get concise jazz standards. We didn’t get one, two, three, fours. What we got was a sonic blend of ambient rock and free jazz, filtered through the minds of three amazingly talented and experienced musicians.

Each piece would begin with a guitar lick by itself. Wollesen and Krauss would eagerly wait for the right moment to join Frisell, judging only by smiles and intuition. Of course, intuition comes pretty naturally after nearly 10 years of playing together as a trio. As each song progressed, at least one thing seemed to remain static: usually one instrument would play an ostinato. While some might be bored with the repetition, Frisell’s versatility was undeniable. Switching between various effect pedals is not overly challenging, but understanding the subtle differences in timbre enough to alter articulation, style, and harmonic ideas is certainly no easy task. Frisell knows how to get the sounds he imagines before he plays them, whereas most guitarists settle for the sounds that they are making.

Among the highlights of the night was a rendition of Burt Bachaairst set. For a crowd that turned out the highest percentage of voters in the country on Nov. 2, Frisell’s sentiment was much appreciated. A standing ovation brought the trio back out for an encore, which rocked every bit as hard as the previous numbers. The crowd was left wanting more, a sign of a great performance. For a crowd of students and their parents, it’s hard to imagine an act that could satisfy both. However, Frisell did just that by rocking harder than any guitarist I’ve seen (including John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Adam Jones of Tool), only to follow that up with beautifully melodic phrases.

For those who were bored or unimpressed with the show, consider this: most people are bored most of the time at most of the concerts they attend. It’s usually when you know the songs and love them that you can lose yourself totally in the music. However, most rock shows have you standing or jumping up and down to distract you from the boredom. Frisell kept my interest for nearly the entire show, in spite of the fact that I didn’t know most of the tunes and I couldn’t sing along or jump around. Were you really that bored or were you hoping for perfection?