Two Takes: Big Gigantic Gives Stellar Performance at Upstate Concert Hall

Some shows are too big for just one review. For Big Gigantic, we sent UpstateLIVE staff photographers Chris De Cotis and Tom Miller to Upstate Concert Hall to capture the show. Here are their takes and photos.

Review and photos by Tom Miller:

Big Gigantic is the dynamic duo of Dominic Lalli (saxophone) and Jeremy Salken (drums). The pair brought their unique style of improvisational, livetronica music to the Upstate Concert Hall on February 12th. The high-energy performance, amazing music, and mind-blowing light show made for a memorable evening. An eclectic blend of tunes from all four of the bands albums; Wide Awake (2009), Fire It Up (2009), A Place Behind the Moon (2010), and Nocturnal (2012) had the crowd jumping and dancing at every beat.

Los Angeles DJ, Kill Paris and Chicago-based DJ Manic Focus opened the show.

Review and photos by Christopher De Cotis

On Tuesday, February 12th, Big Gigantic brought their 2013 Winter Tour to Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park, NY. Having just seen them a month ago on Jam Cruise, I knew as soon as the show was announced that I was going to be there.  I’ve been a big fan of the duo after seeing them for the first time at the 2010 Nateva Festival in Oxford, Maine.  As I saw coverage of the first shows of this tour, I began to wonder what it was going to look like at Upstate Concert Hall.

The stage was covered with a large riser and a row of light panels from the band’s current light rig.  Drummer Jeremy Salken’s drum kit was on the right side of the stage and a table was set up on the left for the DJ equipment and laptop computers used by Manic Focus, Kill Paris and saxophonist Dominic Lalli.  The two opening sets sounded good and there was a short break before Big Gigantic took the stage.  The crowd had continued to grow throughout Kill Paris’ set and most people I asked were excited to see the band for the first time.  Their set was about an hour long and after the band left the stage the cheering crowd called them right back out for an encore and they played for almost twenty more minutes.

Lucky Jukebox Brigade, Camper and HAP playing The Parting Glass in Saratoga on February 23rd

On February 23rd at 9pm, Bearbuck Productions is bringing to The Parting Glass three great bands from Upstate New York. Included on this night are The Lucky Jukebox Brigade, a local mainstay from Albany; Camper, a new group out of Skidmore College with a pop sound, and HAP, another group of Skidmore music students, featuring members of Bailiwick, creating an imaginative indie folk  sound that winds through the golden age rock & roll.

The show is only $5 and with Saratoga’s The Parting Glass being the #3 Irish Pub in the World, it will be warm inside the venue even if it’s cold outside.

More info on the show here

Passion Pit with Matt & Kim to perform at RPI Field House, Monday February 11th

What do Metallica, Jethro Tull, the Beastie Boys, and Red Hot Chili Peppers all have in common? They’ve all performed at the Houston Field House at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute! Unfortunately, the RPI Houston Field House has been musically silent for over two years. That will all change on Monday night, February 11, when Passion Pit, with special guest Matt and Kim, perform in a WEQX/Step Up Presents event.

Passion Pit is an indie rock band from Cambridge, MA formed in 2007. The band consists of Michael Angelakos (lead vocals, keyboards), Ian Hultquist (keyboards, guitar), Xander Singh (synthesizer), Jeff Apruzzese (bass, synth bass), and Nate Donmoyer (drums).

The bands resume includes two studio albums, an EP, and a growing collection of hit singles. Their current hit, “Take a Walk”, continues to climb the US and UK pop charts. Other band highlights include an appearance on Saturday Night Live (“Take a Walk” and “Carried Away”) and a single on The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2: Original Soundtrack (“Where I Come From”).

Show time is 8 PM. Tickets are available for $38 at the RPI Houston Field House box office. Call 518-276-6262 for more info.

www.passionpitmusic.com
www.mattandkimmusic.com
www.rpi.edu/dept/aux_serv/fieldhouse