Exposure Opportunity Is Knocking
One of the best concert moments of 2009 was Jason Mraz with G-Love and K-naan. When Jason Mraz came to the Festival Pier in Philadelphia, it was a sold out show. The place was packed. As a special surprise for his fans, he performed a set on a special stage set-up in the midst of the audience. The crowd went nuts.
One the best new bands to come out of Philadelphia in 2009 was Valencia. Not only did they obtain substantial radio play (on stations like 104.5), they also toured with Blink 182. Here they are in North Carolina:
Philadelphia, PA — Dark Star Orchestra played to packed house at the Electric Factory in Philly.
Dark Star Orchestra became famous by performing complete Grateful Dead shows (from among the nearly 2,500 shows that the Grateful Dead performed during their 30 year tenure as fathers of improvisational rock.)
At last evening’s show, the played the two sets from a 1981 Dead concert.
“We’re given a canvas with a boundary, whatever the stage set up is the framework and all of the painting that we do within that framework is unique to us”, says rhythm guitarist/vocalist Rob Eaton. “So we offer the sound and the structure, but all the stroking and painting is all us. So it’s fresh at the same time and also very historically correct.”
The “Electric Factory” was resurrected circa in 1995 at the current site on 421 N. 7th Street between Willow and Spring Garden Streets. The building is an actual converted electric factory.
The standing-room-only capacity is approximately 2,500 to 3,000 people, including the second-floor area which overlooks the stage from stage left. Spectators in this area often have the bonus of being able to view a portion of the backstage.
One of the best concert venues, The Philadelphia Spectrum, has closed. Although it was a great place to see a show, it was not a good place to go to the bathroom. The line for the women’s room would get so long that girls would resort to using the men’s room. As a final tribute, this video walks through the waiting line.
