You know how some bands are just fun? They're not especially musically great or anything, but they're born entertainers. Well, Electric Six are one of those bands. Featuring some of the best stage banter I've heard since, well, since Devin Townsend, these guys pretty much conquered Dada in a way you rarely see a band do at any venue.
We were all so rapt that at one point everyone in the entire venue sat down on command, to "conserve energy" in singer Dick Valentine's words, for the final fifteen seconds of the set, then stand and dance. This not only lasted exactly fifteen seconds like Valentine suggested, but was also the briefest, most confusing venue-wide dancing session you could hope to see. The whole of Dada sitting down quietly and giggling was not something I expected out of my Saturday night, but it was all the better for it.
Valentine himself, sporting an unruly mop of hair and a perma-stoned grin (although of course sharply dressed in what seemed to be a red version of the puffy shirt from Seinfeld), opened with the frankly brazen line "Dallas is a kind of middle of the road city, isn't it?", compared the Dada stage's curious alignment to the perspective issues from the film Time Bandits, and introduced all his songs using only numbers ("songs one through three are the worst songs we have! Here's song number four!"). He was, of course, a showman of the highest order, appearing to have a great time throughout, along with everyone else in the venue.
They didn't shy away from the songs everyone wanted to hear either, although "Gay Bar" was dragged out early in a pose-heavy riot of innuendo and surprisingly tight rhythm. It also, in local celebrity-spotting news, coincided with Grubes from The Ticket pushing in front of a six-man line to get to Dada's sole toilet, but whatever. I'm not bitter.
As the alcohol flowed, and Valentine decided he should start throwing one dollar bills into the audience like we were all his strippers, the atmosphere became raucous but remained extremely good-natured. These guys are one of those bands where you're not expecting much but you literally can't help but have a good time. People came out of that show grinning from ear to ear and still laughing, with the venue-wide singalong to final song "Dance Commander" ("IT WOULD BE AWESOME! IF WE COULD DANCE!") ringing in their ears. It was an ideal Saturday night in Deep Ellum show.
