Photos by Mitch Kline
The Scene: A familiar buzz was in the air on East Colfax as the pioneers of Trance-Fusion Rock, The Disco Biscuits, came to town last week for a 4 night run. With 3 of these performances happening at The Ogden Theatre, fans of the band were excited to head back to what has become a home away from home for the Biscuits. With the band playing here so many times what often stands out more than anything are the exceptional lights of LD Johnny R Goode. Goode spoke about his love for The Ogden in a recent interview with Listen Up Denver! (which you can read here) and his familiarity with this room shows every time the band comes here. Of course, this run was no different and the dazzling display JRG3 put on was nothing short of breathtaking.
Adding to the anticipation and high hopes was the recent positive momentum The Disco Biscuits have built. Following a strong fall, a great Dominican Holidaze, and the best New Year’s Run in recent memory, the band has their fans wondering if we are heading towards what could be the best sustained stretch we’ve seen in years. With the familiar setting, the party vibe of 4/20 weekend in Denver, and the recent run of stellar shows, fans were treated to what were arguably the best TDB Denver shows in recent memory. Here is how it all went down.
Disco Biscuits: Heading into these shows, rumors were swirling (that were later confirmed) that heavy practice hours were being logged both back in Philadelphia and out here in Colorado. This led fans to be optimistic that the band would not show the signs of rust that has traditionally accompanied them the first nights of recent runs. These thoughts were realized right from the get go as the Philly based quartet kicked off their four night run in style with a rare Perfume version of “7-11.” One thing that most of the people I spoke with before this run were hoping to see was for the band to mix up the setlists and play some songs that have fallen out of regular rotation. While set one may not have been the most epic of Bisco sets played at The Ogden, it certainly was highlighted by these types of songs. In addition to the Perfume “7-11,” the near sold-out Ogden crowd was treated to rarities like “Rainbow Song,” “Neck Romancer,” and “The Overture.” Hearing these songs was a treat for hardcore Biscuit fans and it also made it obvious that the band had put some time in preparing for these shows. One major complaint from a lot of the TDB fanbase is that the band doesn’t play enough shows or rehearse enough and that leads to some sloppy playing, stale setlists, and mediocre shows to kick-off runs. Set one on night one sent a resounding signal to all in attendance that we would not be having any of those issues this week in Colorado.
While set one will be remembered for a few timely bust-outs, set two brought the familiar, dance party vibe and setlist wizardry fans have come to expect from The Biscuits. After the tropical and giddy sounding “Kamaole Sands” (another song not heard in Colorado in quite some time), things got down and dirty shifting into an inverted version (this is when the band jams into the end of a song, completes it, then starts it up from the beginning) of “Above The Waves.” “Waves” is a quintessential Biscuit song highlighted by a driving jam that always sets the crowd off, and this version certainly delivered. Things were brought to a fever pitch as the band headed into the song’s iconic, guitar driven peak and as tension built and built in the room you could feel the place about to pop with unadulterated energy and fervor. So much of what The Disco Biscuits do is built around that idea of tension and release. They will bring things to a ridiculous level of energy, rip into an epic peak, then drop out into a blissful release that both excites and exhausts the crowd all at once. “Above The Waves” showcases this approach to a “T” and this version really hammered things home. After the peak and release, things took a turn away from the usual outro verse and chorus as the band vamped on the bouncy groove that leads to the songs conclusion. This was highlighted by some exceptional piano work from keyboardist Aron Magner and instead of ending things, they smoothly segued into the JJ Cale classic, “After Midnight.”
After such a high energy start to the set, the smooth and laid back groove to “After Midnight” gave the crowd a chance to catch its breath a bit. This relief didn’t last for too long as “Midnight” led back into the end of “Waves” before seguing into yet another rare instrumental, “Shadow.” As “Shadow” concluded and headed back into uncharted waters, a familiar theme began to bubble its way to the surface to the delight of most in the room. I’ve written multiple times about how inverted “Confrontation” is by far my favorite thing in the Bisco catalog and at this point I can hear it coming from a mile away. While this “Confrontation” build did not have the same fury and force as some of the historically great versions, it is always a treat to hear. Aside from the glorious build and peak that the end of “Confrontation” brings, (keep in mind this was an inverted version so this ending was played first) the jam out of the chorus can lead to a serious dance party throwdown and that’s exactly what we got. All four members locked into each other before closing out the set by seguing back into “Kamaole Sands,” a perfect bookend to an excellent first night of music.
For the encore, the band kept with the theme of unexpected, rare songs and treated the crowd to “Rockefella;” a tune not played in Colorado since the fall of 2008. While this show will not go down in the annals of Disco Biscuit history, it certainly surpassed just about every first night they’ve played here in CO in recent memory and set the table for what was to be an unforgettable four nights of music.
Energy: B
Musicianship: B+
Sound: B+
Stage Presence: B
Set/Lights: A+
Overall: B+
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