You could tell from the beginning
that the heat, in conjunction with the failing air conditioning
system at the Downtown, was making the band uncomfortable.
Not only did they mention the heat several times (“it
is crazy fucked-up hot”, they yelled before playing
“Dr. Worm”), but Flansburgh was noticeably drenched.
This fact led to a lack of fervor that was very uncharacteristic
of the band. They cut a couple of songs short, they never
got around to playing a full song in their signature “spin
the dial” game (a game where Flansburgh turns on an
FM radio and randomly turns through the stations, forcing
the band to play along to any random song that popped up),
and, even though a crew was dedicated to filming the show,
the band asked all the lights to be turned off during “Don’t
Let’s Start.”
All in all, when the band wasn’t serenading the Downtown’s
bar food, or sweating to their own oldies, the band put
on an intimate, tight, and worthwhile show. Their banter
was unparalleled (“People often ask us what kind of
music we’re into. We say jazz and classical, you know,
to make the conversation end faster”), their crowd
control was amazing (they had the entire crowd do the wave,
even though no one was sitting down), and, of course, their
musicianship was second-to-none. They worked Santana into
“Older”, the Jackson 5 into “The Guitar,”
and, most impressively, had Corn Mo come up for a double
accordion rendition of “Particle Man.” While
it wasn’t the best TMBG show I have seen, the band
still had something for all attendees, fans and non-fans,
adults and kids, dorks and geeks. |
