In today’s episode of I-feel-so-old, we feature the realization that the first (and last) time I saw Phantogram was fifteen years ago. Fifteen! A tiny show at the iconic Casa Del Popolo, in support of their stellar debut Eyelid Movies record that I lived inside all that summer. And now, here they are, touring their fifth full-length Memory of a Day in the much larger Théâtre Beanfield.
The attendance is a little thin; the balcony is closed altogether, and the floor isn’t all that packed either. Perhaps the ticket price is a little prohibitive; including fees, it’s almost $80 at the door, which is surely enough to deter the undecided, or even the casual fan. Heck, you can get into Deftones or Morrissey next week for only around $50–55. Still, for the devoted who splash the cash (or the lucky ones with media access), it’s worth every penny when all is said and done.
Los Angeles MC Open Mike Eagle is charged with warming up the crowd, which he does fantastically across his 40 minutes. Spitting rhymes over his laptop and effects deck, his voice carries a very Frank Ocean/Dijon vibe — soulful R&B at its core. But his delivery is unmistakably hip hop. After describing how he likes to make up raps off the top of his head, he asks the crowd to shout out a word to start one. “Banana!” comes the reply. He laughs, and proceeds to bust out a 60-second impromptu rap that ends with “…hope you’re happy with the freestyle!” The crowd roars in approval.
Another song about his phone getting run over in the street (and the subsequent efforts to get it repaired) sounds almost Shakespearean in its eloquence. The set closes with a sea of arms bouncing in the air á la 8 Mile, after which Mike announces, “Thank you Montreal, we’ve successfully gotten to know each other!” I believe we have. A great set to start the night.
And so to the mighty Phantogram, which, in its touring form at least, has doubled from two to four members over the last fifteen years. Founding duo Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter are front of stage, rotating instrumental duties throughout. Sarah prowls the stage like a true Karen O while Josh hammers away at his effects pad on songs like “Fall in Love,” “In a Spiral,” and “Come Alive,” which sound massive in parallel with the deep drum beats coming from the kit at the back of the stage.
Elsewhere, Sarah covers bass and Josh the lead guitar on the trancey “Feedback Invisible” (where his vocal sounds like a total throwback to the ’90s rave scene) and the veritable stadium ballad “Attaway.” Sarah even covers piano duty on “Cruel World,” which provides a moody intro in conjunction with that pulsing bass drum before detonating at the chorus with one of those classic distorted Phantogram beats. Majestic set closer “Black Out Days” devolves from an enormous flurry of beats, strobes, and smoke to close with just single piano notes and Sarah’s last line: “Black out days / I don’t recognize you anymore…” It sounds absolutely spectacular.
The contrasts are a theme throughout the set. The moody “Funeral Pyre” opens the show in dim red light, but the mood it creates is quickly obliterated by the huge riffs of the classic “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore.” “You’re Mine” has a truly apocalyptic ambiance thanks to the pulsing strobes throughout, while the church organ mid-section of next song “Same Old Blues” feels like a calming religious experience. But still absolutely massive.
“When I’m Small,” sadly the only survivor from that Casa Del Popolo show and that glorious debut record, closes out the 70-minute set for good, and still sounds absolutely ageless. All in all, it’s a fantastic return for Phantogram — maybe just a shame there weren’t more people here to see it.
Setlist
- Funeral Pyre
- You Don’t Get Me High Anymore
- Fall in Love
- Feedback Invisible
- You’re Mine
- It Wasn’t Meant to Be
- Same Old Blues
- Attaway
- Answer
- Don’t Move
- Ashes
- Happy Again
- In a Spiral
- Cruel World
- Black Out Days
Encore
16. Come Alive
17. When I’m Small
Review – Simon Williams
Photos – Sarah Evangelista & Matt Wong
