Crystal Method paid Chicago a special visit last Monday night, and oh, was it special. As they say, there is a first time for everything, and this was definitely my first go at walking away from a concert simultaneously pumped, soaked with sweat, partially deaf, and potentially in need of a stronger vision prescription (I usually walk out pumped, soaked, sore, and extremely deaf).
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Crystal Method
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 Entertainment
 Art
House of Blues
Chicago, IL
June 8, 2009
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When all that happens in one go, you know the evening was a definite success, especially if you brought some old dance favorites—e.g. the shopping cart, the sprinkler, and the Axel Rose crab dance—back into the mix.
The evening opened with a performance by L.A. Riots, who delivered music and beats that were more current with last decade’s club scene. While the music was strong and programmed well, the L.A.-based duo were definitely lacking in their ability to bring forward a strong performance in a venue like the House of Blues.
Riots’ inability to bring forward a stronger performance mostly lay within the fact that they did not provide the audience with any visual stimulation other than a cliché light show, nor did they divert the audience’s attention away from them walking around and pressing buttons—because that’s really impressive (Please note that there were less than 20 people on the dance floor at this time, none of whom were dancing).
The other disadvantage and bore about the L.A. Riots performance was the fact that their music held its own, but it lacked variety and originality. Truly, if you listen to five minutes of the techno/ electronica/ house shows on B96 or Q101 after 11 p.m., you can safely assume that you heard the whole two hours of the L.A. Riots performance.
An instantaneous sea change came as soon as Crystal Method mounted the stage, sporting drinks, sport jackets, aviators, and what we, the audience, would soon know as a “fucking good time”. They brought us in slowly with the title track off of their latest album, “Divided By Night,” and as the minutes became memories, Crystal Method appropriately upped the pace—and the volume—of their performance.
The air became thicker and hotter as the Method upped the ante, bringing back remixes of classics like “Keep Hope Alive” and surprising the audience with special “guest” appearances by artists like Matisyahu and Tom Morello—both in filmed pop art form—who were displayed on the two large screens that stood behind Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland.
The best part of Crystal Method’s performance was that everything was touchable, sensible, and seeable. Both Scott and Ken could be seen interacting with the sweating, jutting throng that lay in front of them, giving knuckles, high fives, and acknowledgements as they poured themselves into their music.
As midnight approached, Crystal Method brought the House of Blues’ speakers—and possibly the crowd—to their mercy. The blinding fluorescent lights may have had something to do with this, but one can probably owe it to the fact that the young, old, and middle-aged were all exposed to the best of Crystal Method’s most danceable and most energetic beats.
Despite the less-than-thrilling performance provided by L.A. Riots, the evening was not wasted, especially when the featured act brings forth a little bit of something for everyone. If we include the new songs that Crystal Method is bringing us with Divided By Night, we can definitely say, “Yep. They still fucking got it.”
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knowitall
Written by Guest on 2009-06-16 12:39:30
wow. your ignorance of dance music shines through bright and clear on your review of L.A. Riots. It was a DJ set, not just "pressing buttons" as you so eloquently put it. and if you know anything about them you'll know that they eschew the whole DJ as rockstars up there jumping up and down in place of seamless mixing which they are definitely well qualified to do. and their "light show" was the house lighting rig. TCM brought their own production because it was their headlining tour. I for one was there and the only song from "last decade" was when "lady" by modjo was laid over a very current song. what you fail to realize due to your own ignorance is that every single mix was programmed perfectly and he was working those effects like a madman up there. kudos for being an idiot and writing a clueless review. i'm sure all five people that follow your writing will be thoroughly enlightened. |
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