Both the acts onstage as well as the medley of fans that swarmed into downtown Oakland’s Fox Theater to see them resembled a casting call for America’s Got Talent. Between the percussionist in AM & Shawn Lee who was banging on several different drums while brandishing a guitar to Thievery Corporation’s parade of vocalists, MCs and reggae artists alternating audience-energizing duties, you probably had enough musicians to lend a few to The Voice as well.
The crowd spanned multiple generations—and chapters in American history, apparently: one lady was dressed like a saloon girl posing at an old-timey photo shop on the boardwalk, complete with a veiled beret and button-up boots. Saloon girl was grooving with a middle-aged woman who looked like she escaped from Burning Man and another lady who strongly resembled a Tyler Perry character. Like the blessed music union taking place onstage, somehow it worked.
It may have been due to the soupy marijuana smog wafting up to the cavernous ceiling or the fact that the Fox doesn’t subject concert goers to a sweaty elbows-in-your-face experience by cramming as many people into the venue as the fire code will allow, but the overall crowd vibe was incredibly friendly. One leggy girl stepped in front of a group of friends (who may or may not have made rollercoaster height requirements), apologized profusely, then traveled to a different spot. The chick behind me gave me the lowdown on all past Thievery shows she’d been to.
Duo AM & Shawn Lee—a cross-continent collaboration between L.A. indie singer/songwriter AM and London producer Shawn Lee—looked and sounded like MGMT hopping off the Almost Famous tour bus. AM had a righteous Hall & Oats moustache, and AM sported a long, blond Iggy Pop coif as they played their brand of electronic rock with a strong psychedelic flavor, which had Burning Man woman swiveling her hips like she was auditioning for MTV.
While their catchy tunes certainly got the crowd moving (and possibly featured in the next Gap commercial or Kevin Smith movie trailer), their audience engagement was not quite as successful. AM, the soft-spoken lead singer, tried to get us to sing along with their single “Dark Into Light,” but he sounded more like my yoga instructor doing his best Master P impression. After that, they let the music speak for itself. With lofty vocals complemented by solid and varied instrumentals that would stir any fan of rock both retro and modern, expect the twosome to go viral in the next few months.
If D.C.-based Thievery Corporation were a single person, it would make a perfect dance partner (rivaling Hines Ward, no doubt). They drew us in with throbbing, fuzzy bass, twirled us around with an almost overwhelming lineup of lovely songstresses, twanging sitar and blaring trumpet and sax, then left us breathless after a tongue-baffling riff by one of the reggae artists. The original duo of DJs Rob Garza and Eric Hilton has been performing under its current moniker for a more than decade and a half, providing NPR and the Garden State movie, not to mention hip hookah lounges, with a world-influenced acid-jazz soundtrack. Their songs have infiltrated our culture; you’ve probably heard them and not even realized it, because they fuse so naturally with daily life while simultaneously enhancing it.
While “collaboration” is being touted as the next big thing in music—think Brittany Spears and Rihanna, Jay-Z and Kanye, Danger Mouse with everyone in the music industry—Thievery Corporation has been doing it since day one. At least six different singers, plus a multitude of instrumentalists, performed songs as varied as rap-driven “Culture Of Fear” and Middle Eastern-influenced “Lebanese Blond.”
At the end of the show, all of the singers and musicians emerged and gave each other props, Broadway play-style. As the onstage kudos-fest wound down, audience members started turning to each other as well. “Hey, nice dancing.” “Awesome show.” “Thanks for putting your hair in a tie so it wasn’t in my face.”
With so many moving parts, both among the performers and the plebes watching them from the floor, so many things could have gone wrong. But just as a high-scoring finalist couple on So You Think You Can Dance?, everything just jived.
—Maureen Coutler
