Concert Review: The Crystal Method at House of Blues (May 20)

by Erin Rice

After a five-year hiatus, Scott Kirkland and Ken Jordan, known collectively as The Crystal Method, have taken back to the road. Supporting the release of their latest album, Divided By Night, the duo stopped by the Dallas House of Blues on Wednesday, filling the venue with thumping bass and synthesizers aplenty.

The set opened with a track from Divided By Night, "Drown in the Now." Featuring vocals by Matisyahu, it played before Kirkland and Jordan even entered the stage and, as the first single from the new album to have an accompanying video, images of the Jewish rapper in a black and white, 2D form were splayed on the two giant, circular screens that flanked the backdrop.

As the opening song closed, the duo took their places amid the Mac laptops and mixing equipment and the light show that is typical of The Crystal Method live began.

The screens, probably six or seven feet in diameter, showcased various images to accompany the tuneage. Providing a fun optical effect, spherical projections, including the speaker-clad globe from the Divided By Night cover, appeared to be 3D orbs rotating in tempo. No fewer than 40 lights illuminated the stage area, spinning and flashing, making even seizure-free attendees feel as though a brain spasm might be on the horizon. The elaborate lighting offset fairly simple dress by the duo, who wore jeans, dark-colored t-shirts, and grey suit jackets, quickly shed.

The nearly sold-out crowd, consisting largely of early 20- to late 30-somethings, seemed at a loss for how to react for the first half of Wednesday night’s set. As several tracks from the new album were playing, most just stood, rhythmless, watching Jordan and Kirkland stretch and jam across their respective spaces.

But the concert-goers eventually loosened up and familiar beats entered the soundspace as The Crystal Method pulled from some of their previous collections, including Vegas and Tweekend. The main floor eventually became a dance floor and those who paid extra to sit in the seats above appeared envious of the middlings’ ability to move around.

A testament to TCM’s creativity and intentional vision, the show did not play out as a rave. Crossing the line between rock and rave, while most of the songs lead into one another, it was obvious when one ended and the other began. Differentiation made the set a collection of works as opposed to an hour and a half long song.

Differentiation also made it clear which album one was listening to. The duo’s new material doesn’t sound like a rehash of their debut, Vegas. It’s at times far smoother and more melodic, though still heavy-hitting, often taking on the characteristics of the non-electronica guest vocalists’ styles. Divided By Night, released earlier this month, features a number of current artists like Matisyahu, Meiko, Justin Warfield (She Wants Revenge) and LMFAO, in addition to Peter Hook (Joy Division, New Order), which lends the album some 80’s influence, a trend making a comeback in electronic music.

From L.A., Jordan made the local connection by introducing his partner as “the biggest Cowboys fan in the world,” a sentiment well-received. The set concluded with two of The Crystal Method’s biggest hits, “Busy Child,” followed by an encore featuring the non-Filtered version of “Trip Like I Do.”

Often half-decade gaps between studio album releases can bury a band in obscurity. With a drive less to reinvent, but to refresh, The Crystal Method prove themselves to be relevant and rocking even twelve years after conception.

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