Uprising Tour feat. Big Gigantic – REVIEW

We recently had the opportunity to join the party that the Uprising Tour featuring headlining act, Big Gigantic, brought through The Canopy Club in Urbana, IL! You can check out our review of the tour after the break.

Big Gigantic played to a sold out and bumping crowd at the Canopy Club on Nov. 25th as part of their “Uprising” tour. The “Uprising” tour is Big G’s latest showcase of their new album “Nocturnal,” and the sold out shows are an indication of what the festival-goers are getting into these days.

As folks poured into the Canopy Club, The Interns took the stage to begin a long night of dancing and insanity. The two Chicago natives of The Interns played a short set, including tracks that featured the songs “Big Pimpin’” by Jay Z and “I Can’t Stop” by Dubstep aficionado Flux Pavilion. The Interns held close to the sounds of the EDM offshoot “Trap Hop,” and the vocalists’ constant hyping added to the already wonky feel.

Next up was San Francisco’s Ana Sia. The “Uprising” tour was done primarily with DJ Griz, but this show in Champaign featured Ana Sia, who will be joining for the rest of the tour. Ana Sia’s brand of electronic dance music is nothing unique, but she appeals to the core of the dance scene. Her trancey leads wave through every track, and she introduces a bass throb only at the pinnacle of each section, as with most artists of her ilk.

The “Uprising” tour is set to end in Chicago for NYE, and in light of this, Big G threw down something fierce to give a taste of what is to come.

They opened with the soaring “Sky High” off their 2010 release “A Place Behind the Moon,” a track that displays the righteous live feel they strive for. Dominic Lalli, producer/saxophonist for Big G, worked the crowd, holding a single finger out before each track busted into a drop. The night consisted of mostly songs from “Nocturnal,” as well. Tracks like “Fantastic,” got the crowd moving, while other relatively calmer tracks like “Eyes Closed” gave the crowd a short moment to relax.

Big Gigantic caters to a crowd that just wants to dance and have fun, and this tends to bring a diverse confluence of people. There aren’t too many other music scenes where a woman in a leopard print dress would show up with hippie decked in tie-dye and a man with a wheelchair rigged with multicolored Christmas lights. But lo and behold, we have dance-music that is just as much about adorning yourself and being a part of the spectacle, as it is about the music.

As per usual, they brought out some remixes to rile the crowd. The first was their popular remix of Aloe Blacc’s “I Need a Dollar.” Quite fitting to the music, some people in the crowd began passing dollar bills around, only to be lost in the sea of dancing bodies. They also brought out a funky version of “Get em High,” the Kayne West song for his album “The College Dropout.” As if people weren’t already waving and throwing their hands in the air, this track got them all locked in, like an ant colony writhing to a thumping beat.

This Canopy Club show was a shining example of what sets Big Gigantic apart from most of the EDM scene. Many artists dry up with the same repetitive beats, and their presence serves no purpose other than clicking ‘play’ on their apple computer. On the other hand we have Big Gigantic who produces awesome, dance inducing beats and then plays drums and a sexy tenor saxophone over it.

The folks who made it to the Canopy Club for this show, with psychedelic bandanas and flat billed hats aplenty, fought the night into their final weeks of class. They came with totems baring manikin heads fixed with warpaint and giant cutout wolf heads, only to sweat with hundreds of others in the steamy/smoky Canopy Club. The “festy kids,” as many label them, are a strange brew of identities. Some say it’s today’s disco, others say it’s a saving grace of music (see: PLUR ravers). Whatever these people are, Big Gigantic plays to the lively bunch, and show no signs of stopping.

Information about the review…
Tour: Uprising Tour feat. Big Gigantic
Acts: Big Gigantic, Ana Sia, The Interns
Reviewer: Eric Witt
Date: November 25, 2012
Venue: The Canopy Club in Urbana, IL