When a show gets moved from a venue’s side stage to its main stage, it can mean one of two things: Either the promoters grossly overestimated the band’s popularity, or the show is going to be epic.
For the Friday 3OH!3 show at Soma, it was undoubtedly the latter. Touring on the final leg of its first headlining tour presented by MySpace Music, 3OH!3 is proving nightly to sold-out crowds that this time, the hype is for real.
Hailing from Boulder, Colo., the wiry twosome, Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte, have taken the electronic hip-hop/rock scene by storm. One live-concert experience with the band and you’re sure to understand why everyone is talking about 3OH!3. The band has been touring for two months with other acts such as Colorado hip-hop ingénue The Pirate Signal, electro-rock The Chain Gang of 1974 and Innerpartysystem.
The Pirate Signal started the night off with upbeat, bass-bumping beats that had the whole crowd bobbing along. Similar in rhyme style to Will.i.am, The Pirate Signal pumped up the energy with several songs including the inspirational track “I Can’t Wait.”
Next on stage was the fun and dangerously diverse band, The Chain Gang of 1974.
This band was exorbitantly energetic as the singer “Flashdance” style-danced around stage, much to the delight of the females in the crowd. With its upbeat and inventive music switching from drum and bass to crazy cowbells, all riding on a heavy electro-beat, The Chain Gang of 1974 was like a two-man auditory extravaganza.
Pennsylvania electronica powerhouse Innerpartysystem was the final precursor to the main act.
With laser-beam lights piercing through the smoke covered stage, Innerpartysystem put on a show of pure sensory stimulation. By the end of its set, the band’s nonstop energy had the audience pumped and ready for the main event.
Hundreds of sets of hands reached toward the sky showcasing 3OH!3’s signature hand signal or fake gang-sign as the lights dimmed indicating the band’s arrival. Motte and Foreman started off the set with a crowd favorite, “Hornz” from its self-titled first album.
The duo’s crazy choreographed dance moves during key electronic breakdowns provided extra entertainment to the already electric show. The band performed several dance-worthy songs from both its first and second album, “Want,” including “Holler Till You Pass Out,” “I’m Not Coming To Your Party, Girl” and crowd favorite, “RichMan.”
At the end of its set, in answer to chants of “3OH!3,” the band returned with an “all-star” band comprised of all who had performed that night, to play the infectious song “Choke Chain.”
3OH!3 is a rising band that knows how to get the party started. Its beat-heavy tunes and crazy stage antics provide carefree party entertainment. Even if electronic hip-hop/rock doesn’t usually strike your fancy, catch a 3OH!3 show and you just might find yourself stopping to listen. For more information on 3OH!3, visit its Web site at www.3oh3music.com.
LIVE AND DANGEROUS: Who said hip-hop can't come from Colorado?
Published: Sunday, December 14, 2008
Updated: Monday, December 15, 2008
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