Chromeo, Holy Ghost!
Palladium Ballroom
August 25, 2010
Better Than: Hearing a Dallas DJ drop Chromeo on a very suspecting crowd in some dingy club.
Before the band even stepped out onto the stage at the Palladium Ballroom last night, the crowd was chanting "Chro-me-o-ooh, Chro-me-o-ooh."
On stage, giant glowing legs propped up the band's equipment, much like on the their Fancy Footwork album cover, and a florescent red "Chromeo" sign sat high over top of it all.
With panels of florescent lights casting a silhouette on stage, Dave 1 and P-Thugg stepped out with their shades on.
Cue the blinding lights, talk box, and bass so strong one could feel it in your chest. Chromeo had landed in Dallas for the first time--they were "Dallas virgins," the band joked. And the crowed of fans was nothing less than stoked about it.
The band played a decent mix of material from 2007's Fancy Footwork,
as well as a few tracks off the upcoming Business Casual (as anticipated), which is
set to drop next month.
The crowd clearly didn't mind that it's been
three years since the band's last major release, because not long into
the night, with only the first few funky bass lines of Fancy Footwork
hit "Tenderoni," the then-mostly observant crowd started to dance. And
it continued doing so the remainder of the night.
At one point,
after the band performed "You're So Gangsta," and the crowd, well, got real
gangsta--or as gangsta as the Palladium can get at an all-ages show on
a Wednesday night with two Canadians pop stars on stage. Vocalist Dave 1 called
out asking if anyone actually knew how to two-step. And while maybe some
people really did, the entire crowd responded in applause.
It was a
smooth transition into "Fancy Footwork".
Keeping time with the
pulsing lights, the duo of P-Thugg and Dave 1 didn't miss a beat last night in
their flawless performance--and neither did the jumping fans. The
Canadian pair talked briefly about how they're from Canada and how last
night was their first time in Dallas, which might explain the overall
enthusiasm regarding their appearance at Palladium last night--that, and
the fact that they put on a genuinely high-energy and entertaining
show.
Backed by colorful mood lighting, the Brooklyn-based Holy Ghost! played an equally entertaining and danceable opening set. The band was tight--probably due to the fact that they
dabble on the production side of things as well as the musical side--and, despite some technical difficulties, adequately warmed the all-ages
crowd up for Chromeo.
Critic's Notebook
Personal
Bias: I wore the heck out of Fancy Footwork when it came out in 2007,
and I saw these guys play nearly three years ago. So I went into the
night with somewhat of a been-there-done-that attitude. I was, however,
pleasantly surprised by the duo's enthusiasm and high-energy
performance.
Random Note: Since when did glow sticks make a come back?
