Andrew Bird: Fever Year

Filmed during the culminating months of acclaimed singer/songwriter Andrew Bird’s most rigorous year of touring, this fascinating concert documentary follows Bird as he crosses the December finish line in his hometown of Chicago – sweating and shivering from a chronic fever and limping on crutches from an onstage injury. Is he suffering hazards from chasing the ghost of inspiration? Or merely transforming into a different kind of animal “perfectly adapted to the music hall”? The film explores Bird’s astonishing multi-instrumental looping technique and features compelling live performances – shot by “Hoop Dreams” cinematographer/producer Peter Gilbert – at Milwaukee’s Pabst Theater with collaborators Martin Dosh, Jeremy Ylvisaker, Michael Lewis, and Annie Clark of St. Vincent. The feature debut of director Xan Aranda, “Andrew Bird” was one of a select dozen documentaries featured in the New York Film Festival.