Here’s a tip for all of you would-be concert goers: SHOW UP EARLY. For those who come just to see the headlining act, you’re missing half the fun of going to a show: discovering new music. Besides, if you’re not enjoying the opener, sit down at the bar, imbibe an adult beverage or three, and get stage-front before all the stragglers arrive. This advice was rarely more salient than on the evening in question, and if you were one of the few that showed up to Visulite early, you understand completely.
Happy Chichester kicked off the event. As awkward and shy with the crowd as the late Mitch Hedberg, Happy transformed as soon as he began to play. To call him a singer/songwriter would be a great disservice as his versatility and multi-instrumental prowess cannot be overstated. Most of his songs began with him beat-boxing and then looping the beat (and sometimes two beats), then playing guitar or keyboards over the beat(s) while singing (or even rapping). Happy played and sang with energy and confidence, and his songs were instantly infectious. His style was constantly shifting, bouncing from Jack Johnson-esque quiet acoustic jams to raucous piano chops behind tongue-in-cheek lyrics. “This serves as a get-well card to a country at war” was the way he chose to introduce his final song, and unlike many other artists, he was able to be pseudo-political without climbing on his soapbox. Thus ended act one of three.
Next up was an Atlanta octet named The Constellations. To see this band live and not dance should be a punishable offense; all eight members work as a well-oiled machine, churning out funky, groove-filled tunes with both precision and soul. The bass player is funky as can be (complete with afro), the drummer was tireless and frenetic, and the chemistry of the band was unmistakable. With influences that seem to range from Motown to Harlem to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, The Constellations’ set can only be described as an ass-shaking, tambourine-slapping, hand-clapping, rhythmic, seeped-in-sex, sweat-stained, alcohol-soaked party. Do not miss this act if you know what’s good for you.
The final and headlining act was the chameleonic RJD2, touring to promote his upcoming record The Colossus. A producer/DJ/electronics geek, RJ started his set with a frantic mix of instrumental hip-hop and sample-heavy DJ artistry. Literally running between his Mac and three different turntables, RJ never missed a beat and kept a constant look of intense concentration on his face, scratching and switching records with calm precision. A few minutes into the set, RJ ran off the stage and quickly returned wearing a belt with a drum machine buckle and a welding hood covering his face. In the strangest and possibly most entertaining portion of the show, he performed in this enigmatic manner as the crowd was both amused and completely transfixed. After another quick costume change offstage (but not before declaring that “the weird part of the show is over”), he returned again, but this time with an accompanying band in the form of a drummer, bass player, and keyboard player (Happy Chichester again). RJ donned an electric guitar, and the band thrashed and grooved their way through several minutes of intrumental psychedelica. Switching gears yet again, he abandoned his guitar for his DJ stand but kept the band on stage. Mixing drum machine with real drums, sampled keys with real ones, and a screen displaying strange documenteries behind them, the group hit their stride and gelled beautifully, carrying the appreciate crowd with them all the way to the end of the set. As if he hadn’t displayed enough facets of his musicianship, RJ ended the night with a solo acoustic song that gently lowered the energy of the building. The Colossus drops on January 19th, and you would be remiss not to show support for this innovative and entertaining artist.
