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Home > Austin Music Source > Archives > 2008 > March > 03 > Entry
Review: Ghostland Observatory at Austin Music Hall
Ghostland Observatory’s extremely sold-out show Friday night at the Austin Music Hall had grown adults screaming like prepubescent teens and ultimately provided a eyeball-popping show climax that proved the current kings of the electronica-rock underground scene still possess numerous theatrical tricks and sonically blissful treasures up their sleeves.
Ghostland Observatory — drummer, keyboardist, man-behind-the-curtains (and powder-blue Dracula cape) Thomas Turner and guitarist, vocalist, good vibrations-shaman Aaron Behrens — crested a new wave in their career with their release party for their third full-length CD, “Robotique Majestique.” The electricity in the room generated by the interplay between band and audience was overwhelming.
Gentle reader, you need to understand something about Ghostland’s Friday’s show that unfortunately you would almost have had to witness to believe. After viewing more than 1,000 concerts in Austin over the past 30 years, your erstwhile reporter has never viewed an audience respond to an Austin band — or few world-renowned acts touring through town — like the cheering thousands responded to Ghostland Observatory at the Music Hall. Just to hear the applause and screams after each song, you would have thought the Beatles were in the room.
For 90 straight minutes, serotonin-flushed brains inspired deafening shrieks and hollers from the audience made up of all ages, from high school-age kids with their parents to hipsters to old-schoolers who danced to similar beats during the ’80s New Wave scene.
Sound quality at the revamped Austin Music Hall still needs work to make the venue audience-friendly for the majority of attendees under 6 feet tall who are not standing near the stage. If only the redesign architectural engineer had taken a cue from the acoustics and design of Greek amphitheaters; the melancholy and frustrated soul of the venue longs for an inclined floor that slopes toward a lowered stage (such as Austin’s Paramount Theatre, the old Ritz Theatre and all well-designed venues).
Ghostland’s laser light show and super-sized glimmering disco ball strategically accompanied the centipede-like twists of Behrens’ pelvis. Turner’s experience producing raves at the Music Hall multiple years ago was evident as every part of the performance was choreographed, resembling the way in which a rave DJ manipulates an audience.
Stand-out tracks from their first two albums have now transformed into battle-tested hits: “Stranger Lover” and “Rich Man” and the sing-along anthem, “Sad Sad City.” Although “Robotique Majestique” has only been out a few days, the audience was just as familiar with and enthusiastic about those songs as the old ones.
Behrens somehow managed to channel the soul of Freddie Mercury and the unpredictability of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, transforming the genre-pastiche into copulation-inspiring dance music.
The jaw-dropping moment of the evening came during “The Band Marches On” a deep cut from their latest album, when — seemingly out of thin air — the University of Texas marching band drum corps appeared in uniform from behind the curtains of stage left and stage right, locking into the tribal rhythm of the song. During the tracks’ second verse, the Longhorn marching band brass section appeared from the flanks, filling the entirety of the stage behind Behrens and Turner. The inspired moment was the evening’s coup de grace, recalling the way Fleetwood Mac mixed pop song elements with USC’s marching band bombast in the equally punishing song “Tusk.” By that moment in the set, even the venue’s stone-faced security personnel were dancing and writhing, overtaken by Turner’s inescapable beats.
The set’s finale was bittersweet. The young dance music-loving hipsters who nursed Ghostland’s rise up to this point inevitably will have to yield their beloved band to the masses; Turner and Behrens’ continued ascent toward becoming an international phenomenon appears unstoppable.
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By Joseph
March 3, 2008 12:15 PM | Link to this
Great review. It was my first show at the revamped Music Hall, & I too am saddened to report that the venue is actually worse than ever in terms of sightlines and muffled sound. My mind reels at how poorly-designed the upstairs area is for crowd flow & viewing the stage with everyone getting in your way, and the extended balcony area obstructs the view downstairs as well for those on the sides that don’t wish to pile up at the front of the stage. What a depressing turn of events; guess I’ll just stay far away from shows at this venue until they make the necessary improvements.
By http://www.ghostlandobservatory.net
March 3, 2008 2:22 PM | Link to this
Truly A Legendary Show.
By Samantha
March 7, 2008 3:11 PM | Link to this
I didn’t think the venue layout was too terrible, then again I was upfront. I really enjoyed this show, the atmosphere was amazing. =] I love me some ghostland!
By morgana
March 7, 2008 7:57 PM | Link to this
that was the most accurate account of a ghostland show I’ve ever read. well done. and yes….layout sucked. I can’t believe they didn’t use the whole stage. We thought we were front row…turned out we were far from it. Aaron did come see us a few times, but it wasn’t the same. Amazing energy from both sides though - I’ve been to 8 shows and have never had my ear drums closer to exploding. To GLO: Keep on dancin and STAY GROUNDED! DON’T SELL OUT! WE LOVE YOU!