The packed crowd at the Boulder Theater danced themselves clean last night thanks to the Canadian electro-funk duo, Chromeo.
[Click here for a photo gallery from the show.]
Chromeo made quite the entrance on Thursday night. The loud stadium-esque guitar, the flashing lights and the snyth-infused chant of “CHRO-ME-O, OHHH OOHHH,” all indicated that this show was going to be epic.
The duo immediately went into their first song and the music never stopped. Dave 1, the lead singer, looked like the epitome of cool strutting around the stage in a white tee, a leather jacket, sunglasses and a Les Paul guitar. P-Thugg, the man on the synthesizers and talk box, could not have appeared more opposite. A large guy dressed in camo, a beret and a large medallion in the shape of Africa around his neck, he stood still behind his instruments the whole time. But the two worked well together and their first notes had the crowd dancing and clapping.
Chromeo at the Boulder Theater on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2011. (CU Independent/Jake Fojtik)
Chromeo is known for the being over the top, it’s part of the appeal, and they let that show last night. Dave 1 posed dramatically at the end of every song, and between each track there was complete darkness in the theatre. He also spent a lot of time at the edge of the stage, with a smirk on his face, as girls frantically tried to touch him. Chromeo’s antics are slightly ridiculous, but they are also a hell of a good time.
Their sound features synth-heavy dance tunes with a retro twist. Their beats sound like they were pulled right out of the late 70’s and Dave 1’s voice would fit nicely on an early 90’s R&B track. But it is this nostalgic and ridiculously catchy music that has made Chromeo as famous as they are, and the audience last night couldn’t get enough of it.
Their hour-long set was a mix of old and new tracks, but it was “Night by Night,” the single off of their latest 2010 release, “Business Casual,” that had the sweaty crowd jumping in unison and belting out the chorus.
The pit was packed with college students as well as adults, all trying to find just enough room to let loose. More often than not, they happily bumped into one another with arms and legs flying. The crowd thinned at the back of the theater, but there was even more dancing as couples and singles took to the aisles, seemingly intoxicated by the sounds onstage.
Chromeo left the stage before the encore, and only seconds passed before the crowd began chanting for them to return, clearly under the band’s hypnotic spell. They returned for an encore, but even that wasn’t enough. As the show ended the crowd filed outside and hung around in the streets, packed together, as if wondering where the next bumping beats were.
Contact CU Independent Breaking News Editor Isa Jones at Alexandra.i.jones@colorado.edu.
