Monday, March 03, 2008

Concert Review: Bang Camaro @ Double Door, Chicago 02-29-08

By Myche J

Why didn’t I think of this? Three guitars, bass, drums, and about 12 singers! Well, that’s easy to say now that you see it with your own eyes. The fact is I didn’t think of it, they did, and they are executing VERY well on the idea. Certainly one of the most fun shows I’ve ever been to.

I was a little disappointed that I miscalculated their start time and showed up a little late. One of my favorite moments of a concert is how it starts – lights go down, band hits the stage, etc. And I figured with a setup that this band has it could be pretty awesome. So I felt a little horror when I realized it was them playing as I walked in. I’ll just assume it was awesome. Anyway, within seconds of arriving, the band rips into “Pleasure (Pleasure)” and off we go. I was familiar with the tunes before the show, but live is just a whole other experience. Musically what you get is straight-ahead power rock. Riffs galore. And then comes this wall of voices! It’s a full-on celebration of rock. A lot of the songs don’t even really have verses, just chorus after chorus.

The crowd was very receptive. I’m guessing there were those who knew a bit about the band, and those that were curious and wanted to see what this was all about. I almost wish I was in the latter group for full impact. Can you imagine walking by and popping in to see who was playing tonight – and to witness that insanity? It would have been quite the concert moment.

By the time the band went into their most popular song “Push Push (Lady Lightning)”, the place was up for grabs. It’s a song that is most conducive to the overhead synchronized clap, and I succumbed. You had to. What a great moment. I guess the song is featured on Guitar Hero and Rock Band (in fact, one of the guys in the band was a programmer for Rock Band). Now that is a tie-in that just flat out worked.

I talked briefly with a couple of the singers after the show. Really nice, and very appreciative. With all the bravado on the stage, I admit I was taken aback by that. Maybe even a little disappointed…

So if you weren’t there, do me a favor and go see these guys next time they come around. I have a feeling that this may be one of those things that will shine very bright, but not necessarily very long. I don’t know how you couldn’t have fun.

Still unconvinced? Crank up your volume and watch this:

1 comment:

Wayne said...

This song demands that you clap along. Sounds like it was a fun show!