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Ross Simonini<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

I was dismayed upon arrival to find a line down the block. My friend and I went to a bar around the corner for drinks, but even after we’d downed some cheap PBR and returned to Mercury Lounge there was still a line. The crowd was baffling. Had Mercury Lounge run a Groupon? That’s the only explanation I had as to how the folks in front of us had wound up here. \u00a0I’m not trying to be judgmental, but none of them seemed the type that would be into the possibility of this becoming some insane piece of performance art. \u00a0Slowly but surely, we filtered through the door and the narrow bar to the show space inside. We didn’t have to wait long before three musicians took the stage, which was adorned with bizarre props.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ben Bromley makes faces, and music<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The set was perfectly executed and seemed extremely well-rehearsed. Be-scarfed singer Ben Bromley’s facial expressions were particularly animated as he manned the keyboard, prompting my friend to aptly dub him \u201cthe white BobbyMcFerrin\u201d. Ross Simonini chimed in with additional vocals and apparently prefers to play guitar barefoot. Drummer Collin Palmer did double-duty as hype man, stepping out from behind his kit a few times to get the crowd pumped. \u00a0Halfway through the set a dancer completely obscured by a hood with with a grin that literally went from ear to ear came from out of nowhere, wriggling off the stage and through the audience, handing out masks. One particularly ornate mask was bestowed upon a lucky observer who was invited to dance (albeit poorly) on stage. She was later joined by two friends, one of whom exuberantly proclaimed \u201cIt’s my birthday!\u201d but I’m almost positive this was not part of the NewVillager myth.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Not actually a member of NewVillager<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Meanwhile, on stage right, another performer had situated himself or herself or itself inside a giant inflatable statue. A grey-and-white striped column pranced throughthe crowd as well. The culmination of these activities was, of course, \u201cRich Doors\u201d, performed as an encore though encores are always a slightly perplexing endeavor at Mercury Lounge, where there’s no place for the band to hide. When I say they played \u201cRich Doors\u201d as an encore, I also mean that they played Fleetwood Mac’s \u201cDreams\u201d. You can watch a video I shot of the revelry below.<\/div>\n

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