Monday night. An all ages show. A big audience ready for the music that began just moments after 9 p.m. Ridiculously upbeat energy capped by Deacon’s ringleading antics.
It was not a good night for Savannah’s music scene cynics.
Dan Deacon has played Savannah before, but I’d never caught him. As he began, he recounted a gig at The Jinx when a fan knocked over his entire digital kit, bringing the set to a quick conclusion.
Accidents like that must be one of the hazards of playing on the floor, at the same level as the audience. But as a great show produced by Safe//Sound and Dollhouse Productions on Monday proved, the positives vastly outnumber the negatives.
If there’s anything more engaging than the layers of the witch doctor Deacon’s music, it’s watching him work the crowd.
The crowd did whatever Deacon asked — they pointed, kneeled, stepped back, divided into teams, even exited the back of the building and came back in the front after creating a long bridge of extended arms and united hands.
Deacon was like that wacky camp counselor, gone all psychedelic.
After his lengthy set, Deacon personalized fans’ souvenir tickets and posed for photos for as long as he was wanted.
Deacon was preceded by Grand Buffet, an energetic and often-satirical rap duo from Pittsburgh that revved up the crowd.
The flat out great local band Triathalon kicked the evening off with its occasionally soulful garage surf rock.
There were a few minor technical issues, including too much bass and drums in Triathalon’s mix and an uncooperative speaker in Dan Deacon’s set, but the vast majority of the crowd didn’t even notice those.
I took pictures. First you’ll see a few of Triathalon, then Grand Buffet, then Dan Deacon.
Click for larger versions.
