How Was The Show - Dance Band, Girl Talk, Tarlton at The Varsity Theater

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Girl Talk with Dance Band and Tarlton at The Varsity Theater on 1/26/07

Chris Morrissey of Tarlton - Photo by Stacy Sandstrom

From what I gathered of show opener Tarlton, they played sexy, electronic music with an undercurrent of dark jazz. Chris Morrissey played the bass and effect pedals while Brad Bullion played the drums and various electronics. I enjoyed what I heard; however, the low-key nature of their sound not only made me slightly uninterested, but also made it easier for myself and the crowd to talk through their performance. They seemed well received, but frankly, I thought they were a bit of an odd choice for an opening band on this night. These things aside, I do have the desire to see them again on a more appropriate bill.

It goes without saying that current HowWasTheShow darlings Dance Band totally tore the place apart, in their typical fashion. They bring a real exuberance to their modern disco funk and its rap-like rhymes and beats. They know exactly how to work a crowd without seeming to try. Biases aside, after their middle slot, with its veritable sea of arms in the air, and posse of people onstage, I naively wondered whether Girl Talk would be able to live up to that. Dance Band was the ultimate warm-up, but it wasn’t quite their time to upstage the headlining band.

From the stark contrast of Dance Band’s full-stage energy came Girl Talk’s initially sparse set, with the man behind the name, Philadelphia native DJ Gregg Gillis behind his computer and other necessities. I lamented briefly, on what the show might be like, afraid that it would just be him onstage.

After what seemed like a false start, the show had began, I had a moment when I questioned the validity of the club stating that the show was sold out. The back of the club seemed quite roomy for a capacity show at the Varsity.

Well, that’s what happens when about a hundred people push their way forward and onto the stage. It seemed like I blinked my eyes, or turned my head, and when I looked back to the stage, it was so full with writhing, dancing bodies that it almost seemed surreal. You couldn’t even locate Gillis half the time.

Trying not to sound like an uninformed asshole, I’ll describe their sound as only my imagination could at the time: You know when you drive in your car and you’re flipping all the stations? Well, take all your top-40 stations, mix in the oldies station, maybe one of your Jack 104s and program them into your console. Flip those about while a boom box plays the backing track in your passenger seat and that’s what Girl Talk reminded me of.

It’s an undertaking to go about describing dance tracks with at least 10 samples in them at a time. You’ve got a little Kanye West here, a moment of Jackson Five bliss there, a dash of The Five Stairsteps’ “Ooh Child” and a slightly embarrassing moment of Tag Team’s “Whoomp! There it is.” What you’re left with is the overwhelming desire to dance and get crazy. Thus, you have the aforementioned masses on the stage.

It wasn’t like the typical show I go to, but what it lacked in my personal taste, it made up for in spectacle and interesting combos of pop songs mixed together as one. You also won’t usually find me frequenting shows where there isn’t a legitimate musical instrument on stage. But to give the machine its due, the laptop has become a musical instrument; or for the sake of argument, a vessel in which to carry your musical instruments around, and like Girl Talk did on Friday night, bring your party anywhere.

Location Info: The Varsity Theater
Artist Info: Dance Band, Girl Talk, Tarlton

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