Last night’s show at the Marquee Theatre was yet another amazing performance put on by Stateside Presents—in the middle of an unbelievable run of concerts currently making their way through our lovely state. Returning to the Valley for the third time in almost as many years, and playing at the Marquee for the first time, Phantogram played to a sold out show, a reality that is becoming all too commonplace for the hypnotic group despite the size of the venue. Though past shows in the Phoenix area had the electrifying duo from New York playing in more intimate settings like the Crescent Ballroom, in the middle of a whirlwind upswing in their careers it just made perfect sense to have them at the Marquee, (especially since their last performances had no probablem filling the Crescent to capacity.) Though they may lose a small amount of that aforementioned intimacy, that loss is greatly offset by their ability to perform on a scale only previously available to festival audiences.
Led by Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter, Phantogram has consistently wowed as performers, bringing a sense of excitement and enthusiasm that feels both organic and sincere; they enjoy what they do, and they let everyone know this. As the lights began to lower at the Marquee and the crowd began to scream with expectancy, Phantogram made their way to the stage with an introduction befitting Michael Knight and his car KITT, (was that too obscure for the general demographic listening to Phantogram?) As the bass, and drums grew into what seemed to be a single heart beat, Phantogram’s newly added strobes began to flicker, as if signaling in Morse Code “- .. – . / – — / ..-. ..- -.-. -.- .. -. –. / -.. .- -. -.-. .” (or Time to ******* DANCE, for those of you not familiar.) As Sarah Barthel took to the microphone the excitement in the room reached its initial state of critical excitement, clinging on to those first few moments where she began by belting out a rich falsetto scream that has become so deeply entwined with the Phantogram sound.
Both Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel stood with a air of nonchalance, a quality cultivated night after night of creating these little snippets of trip-hop heaven. Hypnotized, the crowd swooned and bounced in sheer enjoyment, as Barthel filled the room with her ethereal voice, and Carters compositions. Though Phantogram is a two-piece ensemble, and have pretty much played as such, there’s a new weight and strength to their album “Voices,” that just shouldn’t be played by the two alone, if only to allow them a chance to focus on the delivery; this is why they’ve been accompanied by Chris Carhart on drums and Nick Shelestak on keyboards. As a four piece on stage there’s a richness that encapsulates the audience and fills the room, it surrounds all in earshot deep within a blanket of melody, pulsating through to the very core. With a revamped strength behind old favorites such as “When I’m Small,” and “Mouthful of Diamonds,” there was an otherworldly atmosphere being made, mixing together serenely to create a surrealist thought.
When it was all said and done most in the audience stood still, fixated in the respective spots, letting the full weight of the night wash over them. As this was Phantogram’s first time at The Marquee, and easily selling out the venue, it’s likely we’ll be seeing them transition yet again into larger venues; though this is a conflicted thought, if watching their current transition is any indication for the future of the band, then the next one should be just as exciting.
Setlist:
- Intro
- Nothing But Trouble
- Running Cops
- As Far As I Can See
- Blackout Days
- Turning into Stone
- Bad Dream
- Don’t Move
- Day You Died
- Bill Murray
- I Don’t Blame You
- Fall In Love
- Howling at the Moon
- When I’m Small
- Encore:
- Mouthful of Diamonds
- Celebrating Nothing
- Futuristic Casket