The man did it all. Scott Hansen's sweet synths, guitar playing, outfit changing, and psychedelic light-show all combined to transport the audience into Tycho's fantasy dreamworld.
Prior to the concert, I was worried about Tycho's non-existent vocalist, and how that might effect the overall enjoyment of the concert. Little did I know that not having a vocalist actually opens the door to a plethora of other live concert possibilities. For instance, blasting the bass! After the concert, I overheard a couple complaints about the bass being turned up too high, but I absolutely loved that aspect. The bass made the visuals appear better, the crowd more berserk, and the fantasy dreamworld appear far more majestic.
One of the highlights of the concert was the light-show comprised of a projector and spotlights aimed from both the ceiling and the floor. Each song had an original music video featuring an abstract story line. Most notably was one featuring a black dressed king and a white dressed king fighting in a type of show down… I still have no idea what it was about, but it certainly caught my attention.
Tycho put on a seemingly flawless concert up until the encore. The crowd was loving it and showed the band the love they deserved, until Scott somehow lost all his musical ability. The band began their final encore song, but from the looks of it, Scott was a little lost in his dreamworld. After the slight hitch, Scott rediscovered his talents and played another three songs.
I think Beacon's performance, the duo who opened for Tycho, deserves to be mentioned. Beacon was sonically very similar to Tycho; they both draw from ambient melodies that clash pleasantly with sporadic heavy baselines. The only real difference was that Beacon has a vocalist. Prior to the concert, I had never heard the name Beacon in my life, but after I was intrigued enough to research them further. They have previously played Madison on three other occasions, and have opened for Tycho many times around the Midwest. Beacon was a great choice to open for Tycho, and I would be interested in seeing them again at their next Madison appearance.
This was Tycho's first ever performance in Madison, and they appeared to enjoy every second of it. If they ever return to Madtown, I recommend buying tickets immediately. The sold out concert on Monday, March 23 should serve as a good barometer of the band's popularity and ability to put-on a dynamite live show.
