Review: Big Gigantic at the Boulder Theater, 1/20/12

Photo by Britt Chester

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BIG GIGANTIC @ THE BOULDER THEATER | 1/20/12

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In closing down the set, "Eyes Closed" showed off some of the more complex rhythms that Dominic Lalli and Jeremy Salken -- the duo which makes up Big Gigantic -- are working with, especially the climatic ending where a machine-gun wobble shakes bodies under Lalli's soulful saxophone. Last night at the Boulder Theater, Big Gigantic showed they have arrived, and they will be staying around for awhile -- or as as long as they can keep up with their entrepreneurial precedented momentum.

If selling out all four stops in its homestate of Colorado isn't enough validation of Big Gigantic's regional success, then the sea of people fighting to get closer to the stage for entirety of the night drives the point home. From the first song, unless you were a scantily clad female willing to accept a few copped feels, advancing to the front was not an option.

More photos: Big Gigantic at the Boulder Theater

Photo by Britt Chester

Lalli must really enjoy the Jay-Z and Kanye hits, because not only did we get the unnecessary directions to, "N-now, th-th-throw ya motherfuckin hands...GET EM HIGH," we also got a little dubstep inflected "N*ggas In Paris" towards the end. The next song, however, was an odd convergence of dubstep and jazz. Pulling the chorus from Flux Pavilion's "I Can't Stop," Lalli injected his own sax over the beat while Salken's cymbals crashed with the drops. If anything, it was a solid remix of what's now becoming a classic dub track, but honestly BG's original compositions blew it out of the water.

Photo by Britt Chester

Riding the coattails of its recent success with Nocturnal, the album that skyrocketed to Number 2 on the iTunes electronic charts, Big Gigantic infused its set with new tracks, as well as remixes and originals from past albums. Sure, we got the Jay-Z "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" remix, which isn't so much a testament to its instrumental talent as much as it is to Lalli's skill as a DJ, but nonetheless the crowd ate it up. Also off Nocturnal, "The Heavyweight Champion" had everyone mimicking Rocky atop the steps, jumping in triumphant celebration of the glorious jazz notes blasting out of the speakers.

Photo by Britt Chester

Big Gigantic has also managed to wow the fan base again with another unique light production. Straying from last year's pyramid-box theme, Big G now sits sandwiched between six concentric LED wrapped "pods." Along with a backdrop of smaller screens, the duo has definitely found the perfect medium of a corresponding light show that doesn't eclipse the musical performance. This synthesis of audio-visual elements translates to its music perfectly, from the subtle, ambient patterns waving over the audience, to the apocalyptic strobes that silhouette the performers.

More photos: Big Gigantic at the Boulder Theater

GriZ held down the tables prior to Big G coming out, and did so with an excessive force of hip hop tracks. His remix of "Dream On" evoked a venue sing-a-long, and his mash-up of various Weezy tracks got the whole crowd grinding on each other.

Night four of its Colorado run goes down tonight at the Ogden Theatre, and if the past three nights are an indication of anything, it's that Big Gigantic's year is going to be full of high-energy shows that leave you yearning for more.

Critic's Notebook:

Personal Bias: Big Gigantic is great in heavy doses.

Random Detail: I wonder if some kids heard "Dream On" for the first time last night thanks to GriZ's remix.

By The Way: The new lights are worth seeing.