The sun has set, the doors are open and fans have come out in full force to experience Portugal. The Man and Crystal Fighters live.
A mismatched group of sequined people bounces out onstage, and their excitement is contagious from the get go. The Crystal Fighters, a British alternative dance band, put on an incredible show that had the audience enthralled the entire time. The band, dubbed by Jay-Z’s Life and Times as “transcending musical barriers,” has an uncommonly fresh sound that draws from its worldly inspirations.
The Bite talked to guitarist Graham Dickson, who described their show as “universal elements colliding.”
“We like to create a space for people to feel free and potentially have an enlightening experience if they allow themselves to,” he said.
And what an enlightening scene they created. There’s something about a huge mass of twenty-somethings screaming lyrics, dancing and sweating on each other that really creates the freeing space he spoke of earlier.
Dickson says playing club shows like the House of Blues are great “because you have that great tiny energy transport and the band and the crowd are the same unit.”
As I watched him slay the guitar (shirtless) while jumping off tall speakers and genuinely enjoying life, I feel like I tapped into that free environment that he spoke of earlier. Was I enlightened? Possibly. I’ll probably never know, but I do know that if you have the opportunity to go see the Crystal Fighters live, by all means go and experience something you’ve never seen before.
When you’re all sequined out and exhausted from “potential enlightenment,” the main act Portugal. The Man comes out onstage and kills it. The three-time-Bonnaroo-veteran band opened with its hit “Purple Yellow Red and Blue” and followed it up with equally brilliant numbers like “People Say” and “So American.” The group sounds just as great live as it does recorded, possibly even better thanks to an insane light show and lively atmosphere created by the audience members who range from hippie to hipster.
Whether you’ve never heard of these unique bands or you’ve jammed to “Hip Hop Kids” countless times in the car, Crystal Fighters and Portugal. The Man are two bands that definitely need to be added to your concert bucket list.
