Things Are Nice, Sometimes

       I saw Dan Deacon again the other night, but this time he was accompanied by a full band. Even though the new album is less hyper it was as fun as ever. Not as fun as Baltimore Round Robin*, but it isn't easy to top 12 bands on eight stages all set up in one room alternating (mostly) dancey songs for four hours.
        He still incorporates the participatory elements into his show, with audience exercises and simon-says sing-alongs, sassy dance-offs (this one devolved into a sea of couples ballroom dancing), and my favorite bit: the London Bridge style human snake (which extended up the stairs of the club, out the door, around the corner, through the front entrance, and back down the stairs). At one point there was a swarm of 30 people running in circles while high-fiving the bystanders and each other. 
       [*Well, actually Dan's set for the Round Robin was underwhelming on its own since the format sacrificed each band's personal momentum]

        The only issue, and it happens a lot around here, is that the show was full of dudes lookin like this: 


                                             

       It's not that I care if you want to dress all obnoxious. That isn't the problem, it's a symptom. Basically this is the standard uniform for selfish assholes who either have no concept of how to behave in public (with a concentration in large, dense crowds) or outright don't give a shit.  But you figure out ways to deal with it (many can be fun).

       Dan Deacon consistently puts on an engaging show, but I was most excited by the fact that Future Islands were playing too.  I don't know why I was surprised when I'd heard the news; they've opened for Dan Deacon during all three shows I've attended.  But oh man, Future Islands are so good. It's borderline comical. The lead singer gets compared to Jack Black a lot, and not only is it not an inaccurate comparison it is somehow not a bad thing.  I don't entirely understand it.