On January 21, 2010, among an influx of a sold out crowd full of a majority of 12-16 year old girls, three bands prepared for a night of great electro-pop music at the Beaumont Club in KC: Deas Vail, Lights and Owl City. I have to admit that I was really excited to see both Deas Vail and Owl City.
I saw Deas Vail back in November of 2009 when they opened up for Mae at the Record Bar and they completely blew me away. So for the Owl City show, I arrived to the Beaumont about 30 minutes before show time, but the line extended into and wrapped throughout the parking garage that is adjacent to the venue. Unfortunately, I missed Deas Vail as a result of this. Needless to say, everyone should check them out if you are into a blend of Cartel and Mae. Lead by married couple Wes and Laura, they exude a solid, indie-pop sound full of strong harmonies reminiscent of old Copeland.
I got into the Beaumont just in time to catch Lights’ set. Lead almost entirely by a small, petite Canadian 20 something year old, Lights’ sound is extremely influenced by electro-harmonies and beats. It’s the kind of music you feel compelled to dance along to, even if you think it might be a little odd-sounding. Lights is a strong frontwoman and can definitely hold her own in a scene that is predominantly male. I became an instant fan of her purely strong voice. However, apparently I was behind on the times because approximately 90% of the crowd was singing all the words with her and dancing along to the music. Clearly she wasn’t as unknown as I thought she was. Regardless, Lights is a great band to listen to if you are in the mood for simple fun tunes. She was an excellent opener for electronically-based headliner Owl City. 
If you haven’t heard an Owl City song, there’s a good chance you have been living under a music-less rock. Lead by frontman Adam Young, Owl City started out as a small basement project that exploded onto the radio and music scene only recently. The catchy “Fireflies” has become an overnight phenomenon, opening up computer/electronically-based music into the mainstream. With a hint of a small techno vibe, Young uses synthesizers with odd beats and harmonies to create a sound that is unmatched among anyone in the music scene now. Barely using small talk at all, Owl City played an hour long set that included songs from both albums Maybe I’m Dreaming and Ocean Eyes. I was immediately surprised by the intensity Young displayed on stage. The strong drive behind his performance kept my eyes on the stage and my ears open for their whole set. You could just sense that he doesn’t take any part of this for granted. He throws out this extremely genuine vibe that just really makes you enjoy his music. Playing fan favorites “Fireflies,” “On The Wing” and new hit “Vanilla Twilight,” Owl City delivered a great, solid set complete with effective light use and crowd-band connecting intensity.
I usually say “this band might not be for everyone,” but I honestly think that you’d be hard-pressed to find a person that doesn’t think an Owl City song is (at the very least) catchy. They have created their own genre that transcends all labels and boundaries. They are one of the few bands that has successfully burst out of the underground indie scene bubble and made a name for themselves in the mainstream world. Just the other day I heard “Fireflies” on three completely different radio stations in Kansas City: Mix 93.3 (Top 40 music), 96.5 The Buzz (alternative-punk-indie), and Star 102.1 (easy listening for the older adult crowd). If that doesn’t say Owl City has an extremely universal likeability factor, then I don’t know what does. Whether you love them or hate them, I think it’s safe to say that Owl City will be around for quite a while.
“If you haven’t heard an Owl City song, there’s a good chance you have been living under a music-less rock.”
I have two other reasons:
1. You are older than 13
2. You have good taste in music
There are zero redeeming qualities to this band.
Obviously you have heard an Owl City song. You also read a concert review about Owl City?
13 year old’s like whatever becomes main stream- sad but true.
Why are they saying hes a one man band. Never Shout never is to and he is so much better and cuter. But i love them both!!!