Philadelphia jam band Disco Biscuits, known for their pioneering work in fusing the genres of progressive rock and electronic dance music into the genre now known as “jamtronica,” have developed quite a following in the nearly 20 years since their formation. Therefore, their return, for the first time since 2009, to Electric Factory, the Philadelphia club known as their unofficial home base (and which contains a mural of the band), was a big event for fans near and far.
Philadelphia jam band Disco Biscuits, known for their pioneering work in fusing the genres of progressive rock and electronic dance music into the genre now known as “jamtronica,” have developed quite a following in the nearly 20 years since their formation. Therefore, their return, for the first time since 2009, to Electric Factory, the Philadelphia club known as their unofficial home base (and which contains a mural of the band), was a big event for fans near and far. Taking over the club for a three-night stand, beginning Thursday, February 20, Disco Biscuits gave a series of performances that proved they understood just how special an occasion this was.
As Slovenian producer ICHISAN played his opening set, the Biscuitheads in the crowd bobbed their heads as they waited anxiously for the headliner’s epic electronica-influenced jams to begin. With the show taking place in the Biscuits’ hometown of Philadelphia, there were many hardcore fans present. Many were from Philadelphia and had been seeing them for years, while many others drove (or flew) hundreds of miles to catch the live insanity that the band has built a reputation for. While many fans agree that the Electric Factory is not their favorite venue, the Biscuits love playing there, and of course, wherever they play, the fans will be. I heard several complaints about past issues with security, but my experiences with the staff were great. Regardless of security, the sound in the venue was phenomenal, and the band was pumped to rock its walls.
Disco Biscuits has a following that’s similar to a cult, and being part of it is a way of life. Over the course of the evening, as they gathered together once again in the Electric Factory, many reunions between fellow Biscuitheads took place. The evening’s atmosphere was reminiscent of the classic Hunter S. Thompson quote: “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.” The over-the-top behavior glorified in this sort of setting also seemed to fit the experimental nature of the Disco Biscuits’ jamming style.
When the Biscuits took the stage on the first night, many fans were peaking in anticipation to see what the boys had in store for them this time around. As the band opened up with a cover of “Mary Had a Little Lamb” by Stevie Ray Vaughan, a song that often appeared in Disco Biscuits’ late 90s sets but has rarely been played since, many of the old time fans felt waves of nostalgia. They then transitioned into the opening portion of “Jigsaw Earth,” a well-known song that the crowd enjoyed singing along with. And so began the segue jam adventure that the Biscuits are known so well for.
As the jams peaked, so did the crowd–and on came the lasers. The Biscuits use a laser company that is also used by Kanye West, Jay-Z, Madonna, and many more well-known artists. Their lasers are so powerful that these guys have to contact air traffic controllers when using the lasers outside. They brought close to one million dollars worth of laser lights to make the crowd’s jaws drop each night, and those lights were extremely intense. The crowd stood in awe at the light show as the band played a set full of older tunes, encoring with a crowd favorite, “7-11.” I’m sure that the older tunes pleased some of the older fans who have been known to give the Biscuits grief for changing their style on some of their newer songs. Everyone at this Thursday night show was relieved to have some dancing room, knowing that the next two nights would be different. The Friday and Saturday shows had already sold out.
The second night was opened by a Phish-esque psychedelic rock group, RAQ. This band features Chris Michetti, who plays with the bassist of the Disco Biscuits in a side-project called Conspirator. Everyone enjoyed their set, but most were still anticipating getting rocked by the Biscuits again. The headliners started the set with an intro read from an old-looking scroll by a man that claimed to be Benjamin Franklin. What he was reading turned out to be the spoken introduction from the Prince song “Let’s Go Crazy”–which the Biscuits proceeded to cover. This was an interesting way to start this show. After this opener, the band seemed eager to jump towards climatic jamming even in the early part of the set, which nobody complained about.
I noticed at this show that the crowd was surprisingly very nice and outgoing for a big city like Philadelphia. Some seemed to talk very fast and were very into their conversations. Some, though, did not want anyone around them to make noise, so they could concentrate on the intricate music. The Biscuits opened up their second set on this second night with a Nirvana cover, “Lithium,” in recognition of Kurt Cobain’s birthday the night before. This is a classic; a crowd favorite. They continued their set with some extensive jamming, including a classic Biscuits’ song, “I-man,” that everyone enjoys chanting along with, as well as another crowd favorite, “Home Again.” They also continued with “Jigsaw Earth,” beginning where they left off with it the night before. It was a highly satisfying set.
The third night was opened by a band that has been recently making a big name for themselves on the jamband tour scene–The Werks. If you haven’t checked them out, I highly recommend doing so. The first Biscuits set kept the crowd tranced out, and featured another crowd favorite: “Humuhumunukunukuapa,” which is named after a fish in Hawaii. They also returned to a song they’d played part of on the first night: “Little Shimmy In A Conga Line.” The two halves added up to a backwards version, as they’d played the last part of the song on the first night, then played the first part of the song on the last night. The fans love this stuff every time.
Their second set of the evening was, in my opinion, the best of all six of the sets they played during this three-night stand. They started it out with their version of an Eddy Grant tune, “Electric Avenue.” This seemed appropriate for the location at the Electric Factory, and both crowd and band did indeed take it higher. This was followed by an electro build-up that climaxed with their high energy tune, “Mindless Dribble,” and went immediately into a “Munchkin Invasion” sandwich, the meat of which was an unforgettable drum solo. The solo had what sounded like an air raid siren going off in the midst of it. It was the best drum solo I had ever seen. The band ended their main set by playing the conclusion of “Jigsaw Earth,” having spread the song across all three nights. This was followed by an encore performance of “Once the Fiddler Paid,” part of the rarely performed Hot Air Balloon rock opera.
The crowd poured out of the venue giving high fives to old and new friends. Everyone left with a smile and memories to last for a lifetime (assuming they could remember it at all). There were balloons strewn all around outside the venue, like a birthday party on the streets of Philadelphia. Some exiting fans preferred to dodge them, while others gravitated toward them. Many felt grateful to have had the opportunity to partake in this entire spectacle, and to have such a great community of people to share the good times with. Now begins the wait for the opportunity to do it all over again.
