/ / / / / CONCERT REVIEW



CALVIN HARRIS / LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY

:: April 28 :: Bowery Ballroom, Lower East Side

[ Setlist: Conjoined Shin . Certified . Disco Heat . This Is The Industry . Acceptable In The '80s . Merrymaking At My Place . Neon Rocks . Backdoor . Jerusalem . Colours . Vegas . I Created Disco . The Girls ]

Asskickery was on hand Monday night as electro-Scot Calvin Harris descended upon the Bowery Ballroom for a sold out gig following his hotly anticipated Coachella debut. The gig marked Calvin's second New York appearance (this time with a new drummer and official co-guitarist Irving -- whose visa issues prevented him from making it first time out). Scores of colorful kids and dance addicts of all types filled the hall. The crowd got warmed up by the sounds of UK DJ Burns who spun a crowd-pleasing mix of current indie dance favorites.

Calvin opened up his sizeable set with two instrumentals (including a brand new track "Conjoined Shin") flourishing into the electro-rock banger "Disco Heat." The track killed. Guitarist Irving rocked out to the song and the entire band was jumping. It was some rock star madness going on in the building.

The big singles "Merrymaking" and "Acceptable In The '80s" were, of course, fan anthems which the crowd shouted word-for-word.



It was a true dance rock party by the show's midsection. An impromptu dancefloor got underway, with Calvin debuting two new tracks -- "Backdoor" and "Jerusalem." The latter brimmed with all the sheen of a midseventies disco tune, equipped with the sounds of violins and bass guitar. "This is Dance Music!" Harris shouted as an energetic team of revelers cheered him on.

If he titled his LP "I Created Disco" in jest, it surely was the case towards this point as the front section of the audience was reveling in full delirium. Calvin and his band would not let the energy go or die off. Even when you thought "Colours" or the title tune were over, he continued to let you have it, groove after groove, commanding the crowd to jump, lights signaling on and off in motion -- demanding the most from the already sweaty crowd.

Finishing with "The Girls," it was evident that he owned the night. Mr. Merrymaking needed no microphone as the whole building pretty much drowned out his croons (even before the verses began). Giving it his all until the end, the closer was a kinetic send off to an already exuberant show. As the closing show of his full U.S. tour, it was one I didn't want to end and hope to catch very soon again.

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[Edited 5/1/08 13:26pm]

::: I GOT LOVE FOR YOU...