1077 The End’s Deck The Hall Ball
KeyArena, Seattle, WA
12.06.16

Festive concert goers cut work early to head to the 107.7 The End’s Deck The Hall Ball early on a Thursday afternoon, many dressed up in flashing Christmas lights, or Santa hats, that made it feel like a game of “Where’s Waldo” spotting them in the crowd. Some bands played edgy covers of popular Christmas songs, and got the whole crowd in the holiday spirit. And bonus: this year, the lineup featured three bands local to Seattle.

First up in the 3pm  time slot was local band My Goodness. Their performance can be summed up all in their name. Opening KeyArena for the first time, in front your home town crowd is not easy, but the foursome made it look that way. Confident and full of life, they brought their heavy indie rock to the stage and played it loud.

Straight out of Nashville, Tennessee, new wave indie pop group Coin got the show-goers off their feet. Lead singer, Chase Lawrence was hopping around the stage a lot, and swinging his hips. These guys played one hell of a show that proved why they were 107.7’s “Music Discovery Artist” this year. And for those hearing them for the first time, they wouldn’t soon forget Coin after the night’s performance.

Band of Horses, brought some sweetness to the show by throwing out candy before each song. Lead singer, Ben Bridwell, came out wearing a hat and once they reached the chorus of the first song, “Is There a Ghost,“ he rocked his hat right off. Even though the set was short, they fit in a lot of great songs like “No One’s Gonna Love You“ and “Casual Party.“ Finishing with their hit “The Funeral,” fans were left wanting more from this great local band playing the Key for the first time.

All the way from Oxford, England, you could tell Glass Animals were happy to be playing for this festive bunch in America. From start to finish, lead singer and guitarist, Dave Bayley, danced all across the stage, taking his shoes off after the first song so he could, “dance better.” Always moving around, this psychedelic indietronica band kept the crowd moving right into the darkness of the night.

With the work day done, the arena filled up just in time for Phantogram, who ramped up the energy level. When “Don’t Move” started, the crowd did just the opposite. As expected, Phantogram hit the the electro-rock spot. Halfway through the set, Sarah Barthel confirmed,” Oh yeah, we’re doing this!”  before leading into “You’re Mine.” Not only did this song bring a killer attitude to the stage but it also was the first to truly feature the duality of alternating vocals that Phantogram is so loved for.

Without a doubt Jimmy Eat World drew a huge crowd to DTHB this year. Long time fans relished in alt rock nostalgia. Their set featured an edgy and  festive version of “Last Christmas.” Highlights also included a new song, “Integrity Blues,” with its classically raw lyrics and easy listening. They ended their nonstop set with “The Middle,” which had the crowd jumping and chanting along with the lyrics. Let’s hope they return to Seattle headlining their own tour very soon.

The Seattle-formed The Head and the Heart received a warm welcome home. It was obvious they were a much anticipated crowd favorite. The band referenced Seattle many times including their forming in Ballard, visiting the space needle, and Sonics basketball. This group just slayed live, and left the crowd in awe of their raw collective talent. Charity Thielen’s voice seemed extra sultry during “Let’s be still.” “Lost in my mind” featured everyone’s talent as the song started off with just lead vocals and they each joined in. Another long-time favorite, “Down in the Valley,” induced clapping and cheers from the crowd with its saturated violin and on-point harmonization. THATH closed with “Rivers and Roads” with fans swaying, and shivers down the spine.

There couldn’t have been a bigger contrast between the folksy, full-hearted instrumental performance of THATH to that of the electronic, choreographed, over-the-top insanity that was the next and final act of the night, Empire of the Sun.

With an absolutely insane entrance and theatrics, EOTS was more then a band playing great music. The entire crowd was standing in a matter of seconds as they transported everyone to a different planet, complete with alien dancers. The imagination and creativity that makes the duo’s music so unique is also translated through their live performance. They delivered a complete visual performance with lighting effects, costumed dancers, and elaborate set display. Main front man, Luke Steele jumped into the crowd during “Two Vines” and encouraged fans to take turns singing, “We’ve got the best years ahead we know we do!” The long night of wonderful music from so many talented artists ended with two major hits including “Walking on a Dream” and “Alive,” which is exactly how everyone felt.

Review by Allie Leaf
Photos by Logan Westom

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2016-deck-the-hall-ball-20Glass Animals2016-deck-the-hall-ball-21

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2016-deck-the-hall-ball-28My Goodness2016-deck-the-hall-ball-29

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