Concert review: The Polyphonic Spree at Palladium Ballroom (September 24)

by J.B. Hawkins

As I made my way into the Palladium Ballroom Thursday night, I was bombarded by a vast array of scantily clad Southern Comfort promo girls handing me free stuff. Upon garnering my neon green sunglasses, a ticket for two free SoCo drinks, a ticket for me to text in what I want Polyphonic Spree's encore song to be, and a free shot of SoCo, I thought to myself, "this might turn out to be a pretty good night." Indeed it was.

The show kicked off with a stellar set by DJ Lord (Public Enemy) who spun hip hop spanning everything from Sugarhill Gang, to those lovable, backwards pants-wearing kids in Kris Cross, to the O.P.P. lovin' Naughty by Nature, to the hip hop philosopher KRS One -- only to mix it up with some Guns n' Roses and Nirvana to boot; all the while showing off his seasoned scratching skills, cutting and splicing each song with surgical precision. I found myself in a reminiscing reverie as my foot tapped and my ass shook to the beat. I could also see that my contemporaries in the audience were feeling the same way.

Up next was Dallas' own Polyphonic Spree, a 23-piece spectacle of symphonic rock complete with harpsichord, horn and string sections, drums, auxiliary percussion, synths, piano, bass, lead, and rhythm guitars, flute, and a very active six-piece all girl choir. At the forefront of this madness is the band's leader, Tim DeLaughter.

They began the set with melodic ambience behind a back-lit curtain so the crowd could see all the members' odd-sized silhouettes moving and playing. As the curtain came crashing down, the band launched into their first song, a fitting opener as its propensity to swell and break down kept the crowd on its toes. As the set progressed, it seemed the "Under Cover" theme for the night was quite literal, in that the Spree played a ton of cover songs -- and because this was my first time to actually see Polyphonic Spree live, I was a bit disappointed. Not in the music or the presentation, but in the set itself. Which I'm sure Southern Comfort had something to do with, considering they sponsored the free event.

Even though the original tunes were sparse, I must say the cover song choices were almost as eclectic as the opening act DJ Lord. This made me happy ... especially after all the SoCo drinks. The Spree played classic songs like "Sweet Caroline," "Live and Let Die," and the arguably classic "Lithium" by Nirvana. They also played "The Porpoise Song" by the Monkees, and a song by Thunderclap Newman. All of which were done with sonic precision while the crowd, dowsed in silver confetti, batted around huge blow-up bottles of Southern Comfort and a plethora of smaller blow-up balls.

For an encore, the band left the stage, only to come back dressed in their classic white robes to close out the show with their originals "Light and Day" and "Soldier Girl." (The ticket I received earlier telling me to text in which one of the two I wanted as an encore seemed a bit obsolete by then.) This went over well with the crowd and allowed me, the Spree-newbie, to see Polyphonic Spree as I hoped to see them.

All in all, I would say the show was a success for both acts as well as their sponsor. The crowd left happy and SoCo'ed out, and this writer journeyed home with plenty of party favors and tunes to hum. I do hope for a more "original" set next time the Spree plays Dallas, but until then I suppose iTunes will suffice.

J.B. Hawkins is a pop culture analyst based in Denton, Texas.