| « Review: Arctic Monkeys @ Metro | Contest: The Breeders @ the Metro » |
Review Sun Aug 09 2009
Review: Dan Deacon Loft Show
"This isn't going to be one of my typical shows," announced Dan Deacon as he set up shop in a warehouse loft nestled between the hum of factories in Bridgeport. "It's been a long day, and I know it's hot and dirty, but let's try and relax," Deacon proclaimed over a room full of sweltering Hipsters who came to see him and a laundry list of bands play a last minute after show Saturday night.
A handmade sign instructed you to enter through an alley, and the suggested $5 donation could be switched out with cigarettes or beer if you were short. In essence a true sign of a low budget affair, as label mates and friends of Deacon (Adventure, Future Islands, Teeth Mountain, Ed Schrader) took over the loft, whipping the crowd into an even sweatier frenzy.
Instead of the signature electronic dance party, Deacon chose to perform a drone heavy untitled piece that he'd never performed in a live setting before. Instructing the audience to sit down on the floor, close their eyes, and raise their hands in the air up high, the layered tones started escaping from the makeshift stack of speakers. Deacon used the audience as an extra instrument, instructing everyone to lay down, stand up, turn around, and then concentrate on a tone that "speaks to you."
Sitting on the floor, eyes closed, hands in the air in a room that felt like a sauna, gave the whole setting a group meditation feel, an Ashram of sweaty hipsters if you will, all meditating on complimentary tonal sounds under the light of a glowing grgapersblock.comapersblock.comaple at any Dan Deacon show). As the music rose and fell, a pulsating steady beat, Deacon instructed everyone to hum and sing a tone, the audience meshing into a sonic groove, before the music dropped off, leaving nothing but the sound of harmonizing voices echoing through the space.
Sure, you could hit up a hosted bar party after Lollapalooza, or pay a ridiculous amount to witness an after show, but if you want to be part of something organic, something that is truly about performance and music, just follow the murmurs of any secret or last minute loft party. Bring a bottle of whiskey to barter at the door, and you'll end the night being reminded why musicians do what they do. Whether they're playing a massive festival stage or a basement show, it all comes back to being about the music.
chicago business suites / August 10, 2009 5:26 PM
That's cool, I love going to house/apartment shows. It feels super intimate but the heat is excruciating.