Bear in Heaven hit The Bishop
As Bear in Heaven belted out the lyrics to their last song, “Lovesick teenagers, don’t ever die, they will live forever,” I knew that this would be a concert that I would not soon forget.
The night started off with an explosion of sound from Doldrums. This electronic DJ let loose on the Bishop stage allowing for a nice euphoric sound to drift throughout the room along with different remixed snippets here and there. He was truly one with his art and when the Cuban beats could be heard within the melting pot of his remix, there was definitely a flare to the performance. A projector was used throughout the performance and mixed with the music took the concert-goers on a journey. “Come and show me how you do it” echoed through the room and Doldrums certainly showed the audience how he does it.
Up next came the Australian group, Young Magic. This psychedelic trio took immediate ownership by filling the room with an electric groove and reverberating lyrics. One spectator, Jake Webb, commented on the sound, “They’re pretty dark and spacey, kind of like a wall of sound with melodies in it.” The statement could not be truer, as the sound seemed to cause an almost spiritual flow of sound that engulfed the stage. A female voice crept across the border of music and led to a nice balance. As the band came to a close and the echoes faded, Bear in Heaven slowly took the stage.
Without hesitation Bear in Heaven grabbed hold of the audience and began their musical excursion through the avant garde beats of the drum and waves of eclectic sound. Jon Philpot led the trio and kept a smile on his face throughout the entire performance, reassuring the crowd that he too, was having a great time. The light effects of this group were outstanding and helped both empower the music and engage the audience. At one point of the show, Jon would release short burst of lyrics which would be followed by an organ riff and again accented by the lights – true mastery of sound, silence, and stage presence. The band left the stage buzzing just after their goodbye, “We’re Bear in Heaven and you are all beautiful, beautiful, beautiful…”
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