(06.25.05) Let’s start by saying that Detroit, on that day, was topping out in the mid-90s, and St. Andrew’s Hall has no air conditioning, so it was a good ten to twenty degrees hotter inside. But the heat was no deterrent to the two hundred or so people who showed up for this fine spectacle. And spectacle it was, moving beyond mere concert, due in great measure to the visual element of the show, provided by Ben Stokes.
The stage setup is with Lynn Farmer behind the drum kit and on the left side of the stage facing the right, and a rack of laptops and synths backed by Stokes, Jack Dangers, and Mike Pistel, all facing both Farmer and the video screen. So no one is directly facing the crowd, making the two video screens the chief visual element. On tracks with vocals, a small camera on the mic-stand put Jack’s face up on the screens.
Speaking as a Meat Beat fan for more than fifteen years, it was quite a treat to see the original video samples that have shown up in MBM’s music, which was the bulk of the video shown, including classics like the “I am a zombie” conversation, “I am Electro,” and more. And this was all “mixed” together live using a couple of PowerMacs, a KAOS pad and something that scratched video as if on a turntable. Truly remarkable in execution.
The setlist was a wonderful mix of old and new, encompassing classics like “Radio Babylon,” “Helter Skelter,” and “Hello Teenage America,” and newer material like “Prime Audio Soup,” “Spinning Round” and “Flute Thang.”
Overall, a wonderful show, running just over two hours. Although there was no encore, the show felt complete in and of itself. And who could blame them? At times, the video projectors that were on stage would overheat and shut down. Stokes and the roadies were very quick in getting the projectors up and running again. It was a sticky heat, with very little relief from the fans in the venue. But the heat wasn’t going to stop anyone from getting down. The crowd was mostly bopping and dancing along, hands in the air, etc. Not the biggest crowd in the venue, but they gave their all. Jack and the band all appeared genuinely pleased with the show.
Meat Beat Manifesto’s first leg of the tour ends June 30th in New York. Check the MBM website for details regarding upcoming tour dates.
MBM’s At The Center is out now on Thirsty Ear.
