Halloween weekend definitely got started with bang. The downtown streets were filled with crazy costumes Friday night as people began their extended weekend celebration. There seemed to be something happening at every corner, and when I reached the corner of 20th and Larimer there was a long line of people outside the Marquis Theater eagerly waiting to cram inside for a sold out show. The sellout caught many by surprise, as people lined the sidewalks hoping to find anyone that could help them get a ticket inside, but with a venue like this and for the event that was happening that night, those opportunities were hard to come by. I made my way inside, already feeling lucky to be a part of this concert before it even began - sold out shows always have an extra level of energy.
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| Reptar |
The venue was jam packed even before the music started, and soon Reptar came out on stage to open the night in front of a voracious crowd. The indie-pop four-piece from Athens, GA took their respective spots on stage to what sounded like a theme song from an old '80s sitcom. Ryan Engelberger took his place on bass, Andrew McFarland on drums, William Kennedy on keyboards, and Graham Ulicny on guitar and microphone. The intro theme song transitioned into a song that maintained that '80s synthpop feel paired with Graham Ulicny's unique vocal delivery. The vocals really set this band apart, a combination of pure rock attitude and a twist on pop styling delivered incredibly passionately, making a vocal style that sounds like nothing else.
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| Reptar |
For this performance, Reptar steadily built up the energy and intensity from beginning to end. The first few songs were dancey but more mellow all the way up to the performance of "
Phonetics" from their EP
Oblangle Fizz Y'all, a song that starts with just keyboard and guitar but explodes in the end with an uptempo rhythm over the original melodic theme. After another new song, they had the people on the dance floor at full boil starting with "
Rainbounce", a half synth-pop half dance-punk piece, to "
Blastoff", a funky synth-rock song, to their final two songs, both intense electro-rock songs not on their EP.
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| Reptar |
They kept me on my toes by only choosing to play a few of the songs from their EP. Although I really wanted to hear live versions of all those songs, it bodes well for the future that they've got much more songs in store that has their unique blend of dance-rock. I had a really good time with their performance, and it did well to make me hungry for a full-length album and for them to return to Denver again so I can hear them perform even more. Not only do these guys have a fresh take on electro-rock and synth-pop, they perform their songs with unbelievable energy that truly has to be seen. I'd definitely recommend this band to fans of indie rock, synth-pop, and dance-punk, especially for those looking to go crazy on the dance floor.
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| Phantogram |
For Phantogram's headlining set, somehow the venue seemed packed tighter than it had already been, because as many people as possible were trying to make that push forward to get close to the stage. It was for good reason to, because Phatogram really knew how to put on a show. The lights went dim as drummer Tim Oakley took his seat behind the drums positioned at the rear of the stage. He began to lay live drums over a sampled beat while keyboardist Sarah Barthel and guitarist Josh Carter made their out on stage. Suddenly, bursts of bright colored light glowed behind the two, making glowing silhouettes at the front of the stage as the band played through their introduction.
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| Phantogram |
Colored spotlights illuminated the faces of Barthel and Carter, as the band tore into one of their newest songs, "
Don't Move" from the EP
Nightlife. The combination of live drumming, sample-based drum loops, synths and guitar created a trip-hop means electro-rock sound that caused the audience to do exactly the opposite of its song title. They continued dropping one hot song after the other, creating a dark mood with their instruments and vocals but pumping energy into the crowd with their beat-work, spurring a night-long sweaty dance-fest inside the venue walls. Each song was enhanced at just the right moment by an impressive lighting display - bright strobes would hit at the right moments of emphasis, vivid colors would subtly shift, rays of light would beam hypnotically from the stage.
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| Phantogram |
They kept a good mix of songs from both their new EP and their first album
Eyelid Movies. The crowd hung onto every beat as they danced wildly through the night. About five seconds into the start of each song cheers would erupt from the crowd because the house was packed with fans who could instantly recognize each song as they were beginning to play them. Midway into the set, "
Mouthful of Diamonds" had the whole crowd singing along to every word with the band in chorus, creating a surreal experience as at that moment both the crowd and band seemed completely connected. That happened again when Phantogram ended their regular set with "
When I'm Small", as the audience even matched every "Ooh Ooh".
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| Phantogram |
After that song, Sarah Barthel conceded to the crowd she just may have lost her voice. The members of the band retreated to backstage but the crowd still craved some more. The crowd immediately called for an encore, and shortly thereafter Phantogram returned to the stage for one final song. They chose the song "
Futuristic Casket" to end the night, a song in which Josh Carter had the main vocal duties. It was the perfect way to end the night - it was still a complete dance floor banger that gave the crowd what they were looking for and it allowed Sarah Barthel a little vocal respite.
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| Phantogram |
For those lucky enough to be a part of the sold out crowd, the performance they received was top notch. Phantogram's style of music is enthralling on its own right, but the experience was enhanced by it being the start of Halloween weekend, allowing the crowd to really lose themselves in the whole experience. If you missed it, hopefully they'll be back to Denver after they finish their second album. Also, they are still early into their tour, so they still have many dates around the rest of the country. Until they come back, pick up their new EP
Nightlife if you haven't already, and plan ahead for the next Denver Phantogram show, because judging by how it went down on Friday night, they easily could have sold out a party at least twice the size it was.
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Phantogram Set List
Marquis Theater 10/28/11
(Click song names to purchase from iTunes)
Regular Set:
Intro
Encore:
