Neutral Milk Hotel was never a band that was built to last. At least not in the physical realm. Centered around a single man, Jeff Mangum, and orchestrated by a medley of talented artists who each have individually pursued their own creative work outside of NMH, it isn’t exactly the ideal model of continued output. And yet, while the size of the band’s discography pales in comparison to many of their Elephant 6 peers, Neutral Milk Hotel’s albums has cemented themselves firmly in the hearts and minds of many who wander in the realms of indie rock, no matter when you entered it. So, when the band announced back in December that this tour would be their last for the “foreseeable future”, it felt like saying goodbye to an old friend. While there were some surprises, both good and bad, it was largely a very personal farewell from Jeff Mangum and co.

For those who didn’t show up early or stick around, Dot Wiggin Band was the opener. For those who witnessed the opener and were not familiar with them, yes, they were supposed to sound like that. The original incarnation of the band, The Shaggs, was formed by a group of sisters from New Hampshire in the 60’s, who, with barely any instrumental training, started a band together under the strict suggestion of their parents.

While not incredibly successful, The Shaggs developed quite the reputation thanks to one Frank Zappa. Dot Wiggin Band was developed by one of the sisters as a spiritual successor to that band. As a result, the attendees of this Neutral Milk Hotel show were in for quite the shock. There were a large number of walkouts, as this reviewer heard more than a few people cry out at how horrible the opener was. And yet, there were also quite the number of cheers as the band went through numbers like “Banana Bike” and “Just Another Crazy Day at the Farm”. Either you were in on the joke or you hated every moment of it.

The audience finally got what they were largely wanting when Dot Wiggin Band made their way off and Jeff Mangum made his way on and got the night rolling with a soft, solo rendition of “I Will Bury You In Time”. But those worried/wanting a solo Jeff Mangum were quickly answered as the rest of the band joined in with a lively rendition of “Holland, 1945”. The last time the Boston/New England area were able to catch Neutral Milk Hotel was at Boston Calling and I have to say that their set felt largely the same. The staples that people were expecting such as “Two-Headed Boy, Pt. 1” and “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” were all at hand  It is difficult to expect much more out of a band that only has two full-length studio albums and a handful of EP’s.

But, there was one stark difference between their Boston Calling set and their set at MASS MoCA. Because of the solo focus being on Neutral Milk Hotel without the distractions of Future Islands or The National, the reverence for the material being covered was much more tangible in the audience. People were soaking it in, that this might be one of the last times they would be able to see Jeff Mangum and Neutral Milk Hotel in the form they remember. So, when Jeff ended the night with a solo rendition of “Two Headed Boy Pt. 2”, you could feel the crowd’s hearts collectively wrenching as they realized it might be a good long while till they heard of the siren who could feed you tomatoes and radio wires. And it made the claps all the more thunderous as Jeff thanked everyone. No, thank you, Jeff Mangum.