WBRU Holiday Jam featuring The Airborne Toxic Event

The BRU Crew and WBRU fans flooded Lupo’s Tuesday night for WBRU’s Holiday Jam where the crowd was treated to performances by Forest Fires, Panama Wedding, Robert DeLong, and The Airborne Toxic Event. Forest Fires took the stage first. The crowd stood virtually motionless as they absorbed the musical wailing of the band. There songs had an oddly hypnotizing affect. After plugging their new $15 shirts, they ended their set with a heartwarming performance of “Lessons Learned.” Next up was Panama Wedding. You could tell that they really enjoy what they do. The band members let themselves fully embrace the music. I looked to my right and saw a young couple dancing together in the crowd. I thought back to what they had said back stage before the concert: they were still in the honeymoon phase. It was obvious that the band enjoyed playing their music, a fact which the audience seemed to appreciate. They engaged the crowd. Brett Spigelman wished the audience a “Happy Hanukkah.” Jared McCarthy complimented “Friendly Fire” for their great performance, quickly correcting himself since the band that had preceded them was “Forest Fires.” The band prompted the audience to cheer and sing along, and they obeyed. The first half of the concert drew to a close, and WBRU fans were sufficiently pumped and energized for the second half of the show. Robert DeLong took the stage next. He set up two TV screens that played classic music videos like the 1995 Batman Forever music video for Seal’s “Kiss from a Rose.” Some audience members were caught singing along to this blast from the past. But, Seal was soon cut off by the high energy performance of Robert DeLong, and the video on the screen was replaced by images, lyrics, and videos of DeLong that played in sync with his music. Robert DeLong’s performance was, quite possibly, one of the best one man shows that I have ever seen. His lyrics are poignant, the images on the screen aren’t too overpowering or cheesy and truly compliment his performance, and he plays music you can dance to. The screens displayed images of iconic characters like Pikachu and Lady Rainicorn, the sight of which excited a male audience member standing behind me. The images even prompted the audience to clap, flashing “CLAP” at select intervals. Unfortunately, the cues didn’t help the guy next to me who still managed to clap off beat. During “Long Way Down,” DeLong’s hair was disorganized and he was dripping with sweat, making him look haunted. His appearance fit well with the song, adding another dimension to his performance. He ended the set with “Global Concepts.” The crowd sang along and his name flashed on the screen the final time. Before the Airborne Toxic Event took the stage, Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” began to play. The whole audience began to sing along with passion. I think the band stalled and held off taking the stage until the crowd finished. When the song ended, The Airborne Toxic Event finally emerged. The crowd was extremely excited. Their music seemed to have the effect of making people selfish. People became so enraptured by the band’s performance that they expressed their love in whatever way the music led them without concern for their fellow concert goers. They jumped and danced violently and some even started a conga line. The band rocked hard and it appeared that it was infectious. Lead singer Mikel Jollett threw his guitar pick into the crowd, and the girl who caught it, who was quite overjoyed, screamed. When Jollett began to sing “Happiness is Overrated” and sang the opening lines, “And speaking of Little Miss Catherine…,” a male audience member yelled, “What a bitch!” “No, no. She wasn’t a bitch,” Jollett corrected, adding, “I’m going to guess you’re single, my friend.” It appeared that this was the concert to bring a date to. Romance was in the air. A man in front of me treated his female companion to a lip sync serenade of the band’s new single “Wrong.” Some people behind me attempted to start moshing during “All I Ever Wanted.” This was short lived, as the annoyance of most members of the audience shut down the revelry. The band ended the night with “Missy” and had everyone dancing. It truly was an event. Overall, it was a spectacular night filled with great music. It’s been a great year here at WBRU. Thanks to all who came to celebrate with us. From the BRU family to yours, Happy Holidays and have a Happy New Year! Hope to see you next year for another great season of music. (Photos Courtesy of WBRU Photography Intern Max!)