Chicago – After a half hour of projected slide show music related trivia games courtesy of the House of Blues, including my favorite “Finish The Lyric”, (“Party people in the house tonight…..” Damn it, I know this one) Detroit natives Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. interrupted the pre-concert corporate sponsored festivities with a solid thirty minutes of irresistibly catchy textured pop tunes. Donned in glittery gold disco suits, front men Daniel Zott and Joshua Epstein galloped around the stage, switching instruments after every song and making up for the lacking energy displayed by the overall apathetic crowd.
The variety of instruments and effects provided a twist on your average electronic indie pop show. Joshua frequently sampled his vocals, turning knobs and manipulating his voice to the point of no return, then quickly reaching for his saxophone to bust out a solo. Joshua’s hair bun bumped steadily with his bass, and together their harmonies collided with the groove ensemble. They showed the Motor City some love with their terrific rendition of Gil Scott Heron’s “We Almost Lost Detroit” and their honest optimism on stage successfully initiated subtle feet tapping for a crowd mostly intent on hearing Atlas Genius.
After a year of Billboard charting hits and late night talk show appearances, Atlas Genius must have a little more room in the budget nowadays. The curtains opened to strobe lights and fog machines as the lads from Adelaide, South Australia build up their set opener “On a Day” with cymbal crescendos and layered synthesizers before transitioning into their hybrid of Phoenix and Kings of Leon sound. Lead singer Keith Jeffrey has the whole crowd wooing thing down to a science. “I think we’ve played in Chicago more than any other city in the states,” Keith acknowledges to the approval of devastated Cubs fans everywhere. “And it’s only because we love all of you.” The crowd accepts his suspect, yet convincing sincerity, as he kicks off the toe tapping riff of “If So”.
Atlas Genius seems like the perfect band to bring your girlfriend to, but be warned, Keith might sway her heart away. Dressed like he’s in a GQ photo shoot, Keith dips into the crowd for a solo during the ode to miscellaneous hooking up “Back Seat”, and judging by the screams of high school girls, I’m sure Atlas Genius poster sales will see a gradual incline by the end of the tour. Keith glides around the stage like he’s ice skating, winking at his drummer and brother Michael as if to imply, “Yeah, this isn’t so bad”. But what keeps Atlas Genius from merely being an Aussie version of The Fray are the momentous breakdowns and interludes they blend in throughout their set, throwing in a few instrumental jam sessions to ward off any notions of a cookie cutter set list.
By the first note of “Trojans” everyone, literally everyone, has their camera phones out ready to recite every lyric verbatim, and Keith and company can’t help but crack a smile. The twirling blue neon lights accompanied the danceable ballad of regretful relationships, and the band shows no signs that performing their hit for the umpteenth time has worn them down at all. It was a crisp hour of hand claps, female shrieking, and grins from a band that seemed content with doing this every night.
Photo By Evan Clark
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