Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Our Summer Crossover Series With I Heart Local Music, Vol. 5: Favorite Jackpot Shows


Our summer collaborative series with I Heart Local Music is back in action.  Last week we considered our favorite Replay shows.  This week we're traveling across the street to the Jackpot.

Check out our picks for favorite Jackpot show over at I Heart Local Music and enjoy their picks right here.  And be sure to visit the Jackpot soon: they certainly need your support in these troubled times!



If there's one thing I can say about the Jackpot, it's resilient. It's been through several changes over the last decade, yet it still manages to bring in some of the best shows in recent memory. We've broken our favorite shows there into three categories.

* Best mind-blowing show I've ever seen at the Jackpot: Dan Deacon (2007)


I'm not going to lie. I waltzed right into this show not having a clue who Dan Deacon was, but I left a dedicated lifelong fan.

The show started with a lengthy introduction that included snark, jokes, and stunts. Deacon made the audience count backwards from 30, but each second had to be yelled for about 15 seconds (think: "Thiiiiiiiiirtyyyyyyyyyyyyy, Thiiiiiiiiirtyyyyyyyy-oooooonnnnnneeeeeeee," etc.).  He stopped us at about 28, and then proceeded to melt our faces off with that classic Deacon electronic madness. The glowing, strobe-light-driven skull gave the audience dancing cues to keep the night going hard and strong. We spent the end of the night looking for our faces, because they had melted, and it was now time to scrape them off the floor.



One of the best things about Dan Deacon's performance today is that the audience interaction is even more intense. Everyone will get a chance to stand just a foot away from him, and experience the insanity together. We caught him at SXSW this year, and the performance (even with a few hiccups) was just as thrilling as ever.

He's coming to the Granada in November. So you can expect more of this:

 

Best musical skill I've ever seen onstage at the Jackpot: Lymbyc Systym (September 5, 2008)

Lymbyc Systym is comprised of two brothers who create gorgeous electronic music intertwined with enough percussion to make your heart soar. In 2007, they opened for the Album Leaf. In 2008, they came back to headline their own tour. By this time, they had drawn in a much bigger (and more dedicated) crowd.


Jared and Michael Bell are the walking proof that big things come in small packages. With their tiny frames perched upon their synths and drums, they filled the venue with vibrating rhythms and energetic performances. Drummer Michael Bell was a little fireball of energy, his arms flying all over the place. I could hardly keep track of what he was doing at times.


We talked to Jared Bell in the video below, and he talked about what instrumental music can bring to the stage, something that was still fairly scarce at that point in the decade. They effortlessly got the entire audience into it (check out the clapping army at 3:35 in), and ended the set with a fantastic flourish. They really did bring a new excitement to instrumental music, and for that reason alone I am thoroughly looking forward to 
Prairie School , their next album. 

 
* Jackpot show that I missed and will never forgive myself for: The Arcade Fire

Although technically I wasn't at this show, I still hear stories about it to this very day. Everything from the sold-out calamity (and folks who snuck in through the back) to an enraged Win Butler who would eventually Hulk out and tear apart the roof at the venue after growing increasingly furious with the venue's sound (the sound's much better now).  Legend has it within weeks of this show, the band took off and reached the megastar status that they hold today.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I worked door at the Arcade Fire show. Biggest jerks ever. Seriously, they treated all the employees like shit.

Jake K said...

But the show was awesome, and peoples only chance to see that album, toured. Let us not forget Drew's bad ass screen printed tickets.

Golden Boy said...

Who gives a fuck about the employees at the Jackpot?