Rich Aucoin @ Media Club -- 03/02/12

Right off the bat, I don't think there exist words to do Rich Aucoin's live show justice. But I'll try.
After seeing him open for Arkells last year, and turn the Commodore into a giant dance party, I was ridiculously excited to see him live again, and especially interested to see him at a much smaller venue, like the Media Club.

I missed the first band of the night, Bradley, but got there just in time for Young Liars to hit the stage. I've seen them a couple times before, and they always put on a decent show; though their songs tend blend together a bit, and lead singer's voice can be a bit rough at times. But despite that, they have a fun and upbeat synth-pop sound, and put on an enjoyable -- if a little forgettable -- show, and I can definitely see them getting better as they grow as a band.

And then Rich Aucoin hit the stage, first introducing himself then ducking off stage for the "trailers" and "opening credits" projected on a screen, which cut back and forth between video clips and fun "facts" about various members of the audience. It was one of the few times that I have seen a crowd riled up and psyched before the performer played a single note. And the videos went on throughout the night, with various internet memes between the songs, which were set to various video footage, like from How the Grinch Stole Christmas!.
Joined solely by drummer Tony Dallas, Aucoin then burst out with an unparalleled energy, getting the crowd to repeat choruses and shout along to songs, the lyrics helpfully on the projection screen. He barely stayed in one place for too long, playing the keys, up to the front of the stage, and even running through the crowd several times, occasionally even to the back of the room; and at one point getting everyone down to one knee, to leap up with a burst of confetti. There was also his usual rainbow parachute brought out for everyone to dance under, and also a second, matte black one and he got all the lights down low to make the club almost completely dark.
But of course the fancy videos and showmanship were just part of the show, with his incredibly catchy and upbeat pop-rock driving everyone to dance, keeping up the incredible energy throughout the whole night. Both "PUSH", with its Daft Punk sampled intro and the bombastic "It" were among the highlights of the show.

Without a doubt, and without hyperbole, Rich Aucoin's live show is one of the best I have ever seen. It's fun, and uplifting, and will leave you with a full heart and grinning for days on end. One of the lines he had everyone chant was "When you give it all up, you get it back", and I can't think of a better way to sum up the show; Rich more that gives it all up, and deserves everything he gets back.