“Man, I want to hear the old stuff,” said a kid - barely a touch over the 18 years needed to enter the venue – a few songs into Thursday night’s Jukebox the Ghost show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. “Screw this new shit.” Seconds later, Jukebox launched into “Empire,” a decidedly new standout from the band’s hot-off-the-presses sophomore album Everything Under the Sun. “YEEEEAAAAH!” responded the aforementioned youngster, oblivious of the irony. The whole show had that kind of feel; the crowd was full of diehards familiar with the band’s first release, unable to deny the appeal of the band’s new material. It made for a great show, with fresh romps like “Summer Sun” and “Schizophrenia” earning cheers that rivaled the response to old standbys “Under My Skin” and “Static to the Heart.”
Jukebox the Ghost, for the uninitiated, are the young heirs to the Ben Folds throne, so anointed by countless reviewers. The comparison is apt – Ben Thornewill draws on classical training when tickling the ivories and Tommy Siegel’s voice could often pass for Folds in the dark. There are other comparisons that fit, though; Ben can sound like Elton John, Tommy like Hot Hot Heat’s Steve Bays, and the whole shebang like someone threw genres in a blender and hammered the “Pulse” button. Comparisons aside, Jukebox the Ghost are simply a convivial band in a time when most bands are too concerned with being serious. This may not be the most profound or complicated music you’ll hear this year, but you’ll be hard pressed to find something more immediately appealing and upbeat.
Normally talkative, the band seemed to revel in playing new songs in front of a dedicated crowd on Thursday night. After five or six songs, Thornewill admitted to the crowd that the preceding span may have been the longest the band had ever gone without talking in concert. A voice in the crowd accused him of being a talkaholic, a jest that Thornewill misheard. “I’m an alcoholic,” he said, looking at the beer in his hand. “I have two beers, and I feel awful. This one,” he added with a showman’s pause, “is number nine.” That’s about as edgy as this band gets, and for some reason that warms my heart.
Jukebox the Ghost did an excellent job of pacing a concert that could easily have bordered on saccharine sweet. Taking breaks to acknowledge the crowd, the city, friends, and other bands, Siegel and Thornewill controlled the ebb and flow of the show, never letting it drag or seem repetitive. It’s a tough task for a band who writes predominantly sparkling and bouyant songs, and one that shows that this young band – who recently made their late-night debut on Letterman – is ready for bigger stages. Aside from a slight stumble on Christmas song “This Year,” the show was expertly balanced.
As Siegel played the opening notes of “Close to Me,” Thornewill turned toward the open door at the side of the stage. “Y’all who are standing back there,” he said to the group crowded into the backlit doorway, “should just come down here and join us.” The stage was soon filled with freelance percussionists, including members of opening bands Via Audio and Drink Up Buttercup and a few random crowd members looking to dance in the spotlight. It was a spontaneous moment that embodied the central, salient point of the evening: Jukebox the Ghost plays the kind of music that you want to be a part of. As the band closed their encore with a deliciously sappy cover of Donna Lewis’s “I Love You Always Forever,” the crowd joined in full voice, and Jukebox the Ghost reminded everyone in the joint that music, sometimes, is just supposed to be fun.
Setlist:
Empire
Interlude
The Stars
So Let Us Create
The Popular Thing
Under My Skin
Miss Templeton’s 7000th Dream
Static to the Heart
Nobody
This Year
Schizophrenia
Half Crazy
Close to Me
Good Day
Encore:
Summer Sun
Carrying
I Love You Always Forever
