If you are from Texas and have any appreciation for music, then you should know who SPOON is. This is just a fact. The Austin-based band with heavy bass guitar, catchy beats, and the great voice of lead singer Britt Daniel are a state favorite. It has been over 5 years since they have been to Dallas, so when I heard they were doing a three city Texas tour, you better believe I bought my tickets within the first 15 min of presale.
The second stop on this three city tour was Thursday, April 12th at the fabulous Granada Theater, located on lower Greenville in Dallas. Just to touch on this venue, I am a huge fan of the Granada. They generally have the best acts. The ticket prices are rarely over $30. it is standing room general admission only, and the sloping floor and raised stage usually provides this shorty a good view from any location in the building.
This show sold out in a few hours, so we got there early to get a good spot, and were actually able to hear the opening act’s performance. A Giant Dog from Munster, TX is not a band I had heard of before, but that was of no consequence. Four band members and a flamboyant female lead named Sabrina make up this group with a good rock sound. I truly enjoyed their music and you had no choice but go along for a crazy, spastic ride that the songstress took you on during their 45 minute set. The band has some potential, and the crowd reaction to their show was pretty decent. A little rough around the edges and an outfit that wasn’t so supportive of the thrusting frenzy that ensued, they played songs like “Dammit Pomegranate,” “Virgin Girl,” and “Trashcan USA.” A Giant Dog built off of the already expectant energy of the crowd and got them properly warmed up for the main act, which is what a good opening act should do.
A brief pause and Spoon took the stage promptly at 9pm. A sparse setup that consisted solely of the band, their instruments, and a string of bare bulbs thrown casually around got the show started. I am a pretty big fan of Spoon and was not surprised to be a part of a packed house. What do you get when you go to a show that is packed with loyalists that could care less that it has been several years since your most recent release? Over an hour of fantastically familiar tunes that are sung just as much by the crowd as by the band themselves. Songs like “You Got Your Cherry Bomb,” “Take a Walk,” and “Don’t You Evah” had this fan jumping along with the hundreds of happy others. I had a great spot to the right of the stage that allowed for a completely unobstructed view of Britt and his insanely cute cowlick that made its presence more and more known as he sweated through one song after another without a pause. The encore consisted of three songs, including one of their biggest hits, “I Put My Camera On.” It was received with the consistent swell of cheers fading into shouted lyrics that every single song in the show incited. As the show came to an end, the energy of the crowd was still riding high, but completely satisfied.
This was easily one of my favorite shows of the year, and I will be devastated if they wait another five years to make a return trip to Dallas.
Review and Photos by Reanna Streater-Nunn
