Matt and Kim played at the Town Ballroom last night, bringing with them the same energy and zest that they have been delivering since they first formed the duo in 2005. To be clear, my wife and I have been fans of the band for years, catching them for the first time in Toronto when they opened for The Go Team back in 2008. Then we were fortunate to see them again in 2010 at Soundlab here in Buffalo. When we heard that they were coming to play Town Ballroom we knew that there was no way that we were going to miss the show. The group recently released its latest CD (in October) called Lightning, which for us is another guilty pleasure. Typically, we're not big on the Indie dance power-pop scene, though we do make exceptions for the aforementioned bands, along with a smattering of CSS.
View image
These days I don't find myself listening to Matt and Kim that much, unless I happen to come across a song when listening to WBNY 91.3 (Buffalo State radio), mainly because of the boundless energy that the two deliver. It doesn't mean that I like them any less... it's just that you've got to be in the right frame of mind to take it all in at once. A Matt and Kim live show is different however. The concert that we saw last night at Town Ballroom brought the house down. Despite a series of technical difficulties, Matt and Kim tore it up on stage like they always do, and the crowd devoured their playing antics despite the glitches. In fact, the performers appeared to use the glitches to their advantage, endearing fans to rally around the lovable duo.
Shows like this one always make me think about the importance of mid-sized venues like Town Ballroom. It doesn't get much better than Town. There is a certain intimacy that connects the fans to the performers, while still being able to pack in a chaotic tight-knit crowd - the perfect setting for Matt and Kim. Matt with his cheerleading and Kim with her balancing act beats and crowd surfing prowess. Fans with their ability to interact with the on and off-stage energy.
Hopefully these types of shows are able to draw the University at Buffalo students away from the swamp and into the city. It's destinations like Town that make me anxious for traffic to return to Main Street, so that we can show off the district by adding needed activity. Downtown Buffalo needs to capitalize on the packed house scenario that concerts such as Matt and Kim deliver. Town has been stuck behind the underground Metro Rail entrance/exit for far too long. I still remember a day, not that long ago, when this venue sat empty... very depressing. Today we're getting big names to play in a historic venue that Buffalo should be proud to have. Last night Matt and Kim saw an energized (and sold out) crowd that they were not expecting to play for. The two expressed to fans, multiple times, how surprised they were with the turnout and the crowd's enthusiasm. Anyone that was at the concert must have walked away with a feeling of overall contentedness for an experience that only Town Ballroom and Matt and Kim could have delivered.
One of the worst bands of all time.