Boundaries blurred

Girl Talk and Dan Deacon become one with the crowd at Chicago's Metro

By Genevieve Diesing
Published: January 29th, 2008 | 9:26am

January 26, 2008, in Chicago — There was no line between the artists and the audience at the Metro in Chicago, as Girl Talk and Dan Deacon brought their revved-up dance beats literally into the crowd.

Within the first few minutes of his set, Girl Talk, aka DJ Gregg Gillis, opened the floodgates of fans onto the stage, separating himself only by his monitors and the two security guards protecting them. The venue, which had sold out both of the evening’s shows, was crammed to full capacity with swaying, grooving masses. As the mob thickened to suffocating levels near the stage, beer was a lost cause and dancing became slightly hazardous. Nevertheless, the crowd waved its hands in the air like it just didn’t care, and Gillis reciprocated.

“Ya’ll right Chicago?” Gillis screamed before tossing his yellow jacket into the crowd. He resampled tracks from 2006’s Night Ripper (Illegal Art), layering bits of M.I.A., Elton John, and M.C. Hammer. As the heat rose in the crowded venue, the energy level stayed consistent with unprecedented hooks and irresistible beats. Gillis’ signature, seamless blend of R&B singles, dance-party hits, soft-rock classics, and just about everything else, lived up to its $16 ticket — the energy of Gillis and the crowd gave the music more oomph than any stereo could.

Gillis shied away from his notorious stage antics (the artist likes to take off his clothes) but couldn’t resist a stage dive near the end of his set, surfing briefly atop ecstatic fans with his white sneakers kicking wildly in the air.

Probably not since the early '90s had such a young, fluorescent-clad crowd hooted “Whoop, there it is!” in simultaneous chorus anywhere near Chicago’s downtown. With hundreds of dancing fans staring back at dozens more onstage, the effect was like a super-charged house party.

Perhaps Deacon deserved some of the credit for the night’s vibes, as he took his own act to the left corner of the floor instead of the stage earlier that night. While moving images of the audience flashed onscreen, Deacon instructed the crowd to raise their hands in the air, grab a stranger’s, and dance. The audience responded gleefully while getting down to Deacon’s electronic symphonies.

With as much heat and adrenaline the eccentric duo brought to Chicago that Saturday, the pair is sure to be warmly welcomed back.