Catching the occasional glimmer of sequins as I crossed the street to enter the usually alt-country Tractor Tavern, I confirmed my suspicion that including the words, “Michael Jackson” is a good way to draw a crowd, and throwing in “afrobeat” gets even more people curious. Sure enough the inherent dance nature of the event drew a crowd to fill the small floor and provide a mild sweat for the evening. Combining two styles of music that share an entirely danceable beat (for example, a three-person percussion section) Ben Darwish and the folks of Commotion kept the majority of the audience in motion from start to finish, a feat that has rarely happened at any tractor show I've attended (although I've never attended square dancing night). Sunday's show was in celebration of Micheal Jackson's birthday, although sadly this was noted as their last performance. The group is led by Ben Darwish, a Portland native and the rest of the group Commotion, also from Portland. The group has been gaining popularity around the funk/afrobeat scene of Oregon with their energetic, organic groove-heavy performances.
Most people seemed more familiar with the Michael Jackson portions of the mash-ups, although a few folks seemed more familiar with full body afrobeat dance style. I find it extremely difficult to dance off-beat to this type of music, although one or two ladies in the front seemed to be doing their best. Darwish noted that the Michael Jackson songs might come at the beginning or at the end of any given tune, implying I think, that folks should be patient and stop screaming “Thriller,” a common call, which got a little old by the end of the evening.
Overall though, most folks appeared to be having a good time flailing their arms and shaking hips, and the performers on stage equally produced shining smiles.The only one who appeared serious throughout was Darwish himself, who kept up an internal beat pacing around the stage and conducting the group through solos, key changes and endings when not lunging his head at the keyboard. Though not much of a connoisseur of afrobeat, I recognized some of the famous Fela Kuti riffs and could definitely appreciate the work that went into seamlessly blending the tracks with Michael Jackson favorites like “Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough,” “Rock with You,” “Blood on the Dance Floor,” a sans vocal “Beat It” and a slightly shifted and crowd-pleasing “Smooth Criminal” featuring trading vocals by Tahirah Memory and Gretchen Mitchell. The appearance of a Michael Jackson impersonator towards the end of the evening also drew an impromptu dance circle to allow for a whole bunch of twirling, which further energized the crowd. Overall, the performance brought an element of familiarity that I find lacking when listening to any sort of groove or beat music. Whether this is a good thing for afrobeat music, I haven't quite yet decided.
