Photo by Isaiah Yehros. More on Flickr

With a lighting rig that would rival a Pink Floyd cover band’s and an audience that was, dare I say, unrivaled in energy, Umphrey’s McGee at the Pageant was a Midwestern delight. Known for their groovy tunes and jammy style, the group had a clear target audience (the Midwestern-type stoner type who inevitably will be in annual attendance at Bonnaroo) and one objective: throw a great fucking party.

Umphrey’s seamlessly flowed from one song to the next while lead singer, Brendan Bayliss, piped in with a catchy chorus or verse every once in a while. Although his vocals tended to be pretty one-dimensional and get to the point quickly, they were quite danceable. Whatever your view might be on “jam bands,” Umphrey’s is undeniably a very talented group. This could be noted by any solo performed or genre change or a cappella verse sung. They used this talent in a unique way to cater to a very specific crowd, and it would be hard to argue that they didn’t use this versatility to their advantage. Just measure them up against any other band when it comes time to call for an encore.

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Photo by Alex Menter. More on Flickr

Neon Indian’s last stop on their six-month tour landed them in front of an energetic and eager crowd (The Hood Internet had just played) at Schubas in Chicago for the Tomorrow Never Knows music festival. For such brightly colored music, Alan Palomo, front man of Neon Indian, wore a black shirt with white polka dots, a black leather vest, black skinny jeans and white canvas shoes that all screamed rock and roll. His three band mates followed suit with the exception of the band’s only female, Leanne Macomber, who sported a bright purple wig. Even the lighting was simplistic blues and reds, and everyone who has been through kindergarten knows that makes purple, another dark shade to add to the conservative backdrop.  This was a rock ‘n’ roll band fully equipped with an axe man ready to shred whenever let loose. Too bad Neon Indian doesn’t play rock and roll music – or so I thought.

Neon Indian is a leader of the newish glo-fi/chill wave genre that has been sweeping the blogosphere. Their music is new, hip, and typically about as far from classic rocks as it gets. But, Neon Indian decided to bring the noise. Hits like “Deadbeat Summer” and “Should Have Taken Acid With You,” chock-full of exploding synthes and airy vocals, were as strong as ever. And although, Palomo (with one shoe untied and bouncing around like an adolescent… well… on acid) was mesmerizing to watch, he alone was not the most interesting or exciting part of the night.

Rather it was during “Ephermeral Artery” and “Local Joke,” songs that get lost at the end of Psychic Chasm, that Neon Indian showed their true live colors. Palomo seemed to be doing his best Mick Jagger impression while the rest of the band pushed it into overdrive. So I guess in the end it comes full circle. Who would have thought? Neon Indian is a glo-fi band stuck in a rock band’s body. Or a rock band stuck in a glo-fi band’s bod?  Either way, you know what I mean.

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Photo by Katherine Cohen        More on Flickr »

Japandroids’ Brian King, guitarist/vocalist, and David Prowse, drummer/vocalist, might not cross their t’s or dot their i’s, but in this new arena where less is more, they have come out on top. Minimalism is key, so save the convoluted, and cut to the chase. The formula is rigid: “Super easy chorus, super easy verse. You will know it in about 30 seconds” as King described his catalog when introducing a new song at the Billiken Club that will come out on a 7” early next year. It is always a beautiful thing when a band understands its own appeal. They never disappoint. Although the performance wasn’t flawless, they knew what they were doing, and they did it well. Holding to the theme, let me cut to the chase: King is astounding (not to say Prowse isn’t). King might as well be three guitarists. I mean the guy had three amps set up for his one guitar to prove it. Not only did he play each song (most from their recently debuted album, Post-Nothing) to perfection, he was pleasantly entertaining as he did so. He ran back and forth between his two designated spots on stage – the bright red cushioned microphone with supermodel fan blowing in his face, and the self-assembled mini stage pushed up against the kick drum. The feeling evoked by King penetrated the crowd with each slick guitar lick and lyric belted. And when the whole crowd erupted into, “I don’t wanna worry about dying. I just wanna worry about sunshine girls,” it was clear he was doing his job right.

When push comes to shove though, they are a team. King could not do it without Prowse whose drums faced King and not the audience. The chemistry between them was astonishing. King was a QB reading the defense, the crowd, and signaling to his star wide receiver, Prowse, who always made all of the right moves. The duo meticulously played through each and every song happy to be performing for a boisterous, west of the Atlantic crowd, after playing a long stretch of polite and mellow shows in Europe. The Japandroids have accomplished what so many bands have not: the ability to be simple yet still have context and saturating feeling. This task isn’t easy though. You need to be perfect to pull it off, and the Japandroids are.

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Photo by Allegra Fisher More on Flickr »

Peter Morén, Björn Yttling, and John Eriksson must be the happiest indie rock group ever to earn pitchfork fame.  They kicked off their Friday night show at the Gargoyle with a whistling contest to pick a guest star from the audience to accompany them on stage during “Young Folks,” the well-known crowd favorite.  This playful game would forecast a jubilant mood for the coming show, which opened with a drawn-out and escalating intro to “Amsterdam.”   This energy built by crescendo and back lighting would persist for the rest of the night.The uppity Peter bounced around the stage only stopping to croon into the megaphone-effected microphone, while Björn incessantly encouraged audience participation by clapping his hands together to the beat.  The entire band even stopped playing during “Young Folks” to cry, “If you want to hear more, show it!” and they got what they asked for.  They moved seamlessly through key songs like “Chills” and “Nothing to Worry About,” but if anything the audience was more pleased by these disruptive provocations.

A highlight of the night was when they rocked out to Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven,” tipping their hats to St. Louis’ legend.  Peter seemed at home in this genre, and it became apparent where the band’s inspirations came from.  As though to prove some modicum of energy remained after their intense set, they closed the show with “Objects of My Affection,” following “Paris 2004″ and “Big Black Coffin.”  Compared to their recorded work, the quality of sound seemed enhanced in the live setting, and it was clear how they have earned such a following of most ardent fans.  But for as much fun as the audience and I had, it was clear that the happiest young folks in the room were Peter, Bjorn, and John.

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