Crescent Ballroom’s annual festival, “Los Dias de la Crescent,” began as any local festival does — slowly. The people trickled in.
The show, which was held at Civic Space Park last year, was much smaller this time around; only 10 bands were showcased, compared to last year’s 17.
However, whenever an event has a broad enough appeal to attract the Valley’s satchel-toting hipsters, sorority girls and middle-aged couples alike under the shadow of a stage, you can expect greatness.
The show’s unsung heroes, Jerusafunk, donned a plethora of ’70s inspired garb including purple Afros, ultra-revealing onesies and any attention-worthy sash on the market. Before they took the stage, I noticed two of the members dancing ironically with all their might and poise to some typical four-piece pop band.
A self-proclaimed Klezmer jazz gypsy funk band from Phoenix, Jerusafunk is enjoyable to both the untrained concert attendee and those more musically inclined. Clarinets, guitars, saxophones and drums all leave you wondering whether crazed white noise should have such a bad rap.
Never have I seen a band perform one song using both a xylophone and spoons as a seemingly compulsory portion of its set.
A personal favorite song, “Worshippin’ Your Body,” had sticky sweet harmonies, X-rated lyrics and the crowd work to match.
Another crowd favorite, Playboy Manbaby, wonderfully fueled the teenage angst in a 21+ crowd. It is a feat to keep us on our feet, let alone create a mosh pit out of Phoenician misfits wearing “Keep Phoenix Hot” t-shirts pretending we barely wanted to come in the first place.
Performing crowd-pleasers like “Funeral Pizza” and “Falafel Pantyhose,” the always ambiguous band spiked the energy of an otherwise overheated and bored arena.
With both an indoor and outdoor stage, concertgoers could avoid anything too off-key, archetypal or boring for their tastes. For example, Instead of remaining stagnant for WLFPCK’s full set, I went inside and listened to “Manic Monday.”
Overall, though, any festival put on by Crescent Ballroom is a festival worth seeing. Especially for just $1 per band.
Contact the author at rachel.banks@asu.edu. Contact the columnist at Emily.Liu@asu.edu.
