By Samantha
A. Parvin
Pendulum,
the drum 'n' bass/rock/electronic four-piece from Perth, Australia, was an
appropriate booking for a Wednesday night at Center Stage; there didn’t seem to
be many “9 to 5-ers” in the crowd who would need to get up early on Thursday
morning. Pendulum’s fan base is
undeniably eclectic, and the dark tones of the music and the crowd’s
raver-esque dance moves accentuated that.
Because of the band’s seemingly endless amount of energy,
one would never guess that this was the second to final show of a 16-month
North American tour that started in Canada and will end on Friday in
Miami. Uniquely, the group’s live shows
are fronted by Ben Mount, an MC/“Cheerleader” whose main platform is motivating
the crowd.
“The more you give us, the
more we’ll give you,” he pronounced, explaining that they are willing to play
rare and un-marketed works if the crowd is willing to work for it. And, while his moves are somewhat awkward and
he’s not exactly a musician, he is good at what he does because every person in
the auditorium was head-bobbing and foot-tapping for the full two hours. The energy and enthusiasm were not lacking
at Center Stage on Wednesday night.
Rob
Squire, lead singer, keyboardist, and synth player, finally debuted his vocal
talents around song eight or nine. His voice is
reminiscent of Thom Yorke or Bono, but with a younger feel. “Bring it on home,” he sang, while urging the
crowd members to join in. In fact, at
several points Mount encouraged crowd participation and embraced an interactive
show, which is an increasingly integral part of the performing experience.
Pendulum
played several popular favorites from their recorded albums, and the audience
members engaged enough to be graced with rare originals; and everyone – myself
included – bounced to the beat of drums until the morning hours.
