Electronic original Neon Indian really vibed with the Rialto Theatre crowd last night, March 10.
“The room was moving [and] everybody was tuned in,” according to Empire High School student Sanne Casello. ”Their music is like waves of super-sonic sound … They put on a great show.”
These poetic words of praise are not unfounded. From the first funky chords of “Dear Skorpio Magazine,” Neon Indian lit up the stage, opened ears and made audience members’ bodies bounce.
Nothing could match Neon Indian mastermind Alan Palomo’s stage presence, though, whose jives were so deep that they could not have been choreographed.
Stage left was lit by a neon blue “Night School” lettering, and opposite on stage right was a red neon emblem that represented the Palomo’s music from the most recent album Vega Intl. Night School.
The set list of about a dozen songs rode the tide of the band’s intense synth, breathy vocals and never-boring beats.
“I felt like I was waiting for the encore the entire time, because I knew that was when they’d play everyone’s favorites,” said another Tucson resident, Emilia Hoyos.
But everyone seemed to be having a great time with Palomo’s hits from his newest album. It is relaxing and invigorating at the same time, and as with former albums, it is near impossible to pinpoint the band’s influences. It is something that many of our parents would approve of for sure, though, and it has a sound unique from other indie projects of our time.
The crowd doubled in size after opener BRYDES. Palomo announced that it had been two years since Neon Indian stopped in Tucson. Regardless, his trance-inducing music fit right in at The Rialto Theatre.
Since the band’s sophomore album, Era Extraña, which translates from Spanish to “strange era,” Palomo has worked on various projects in film and festival. He also started from scratch to get to last year’s album, after his laptop was stolen.
Vega Intl. Night School‘s live manifestation proved to be a job well-done, and worth the wait. Mid-set Palomo played an older hit, “Terminally Chill,” encapsulating Neon Indian’s dedication to never being a copy-and-paste artist, which can be felt in every one of his unique songs.
Though this band was conceived by Mexican-born Palomo and is more popular in Mexico city than any of the states, Neon Indian’s most well-known song is “Polish Girl,” which was one of the songs chosen to round up the night.
The final encore song was “News from the Sun,” a hit that cannot help but make one smile as they exited through the Rialto’s doors and back into real life.
Grade: A+
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