Bands vs. Eccentric Crowd: Battle at Concert in the Park

July 8, 2:51 PMSacramento Rock Music ExaminerLaura Winn

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Jeepster and its artillery of tambourines, Photo by Laura Winn

A war went down at the last Friday Night Concert in the Park, and it wasn’t a battle of the bands. The unspoken competition was between the bands on stage and the dancers below: who could put on the better show?

Concerts in the Park are infamous for eclectic crowds and the best people watching in Sacramento, but the 2009 Independence Day weekend show brought the most amusing crowd of the new millennium.

While Radio Orangevale played a rock n’ roll set onstage, a curvaceous woman wearing a lingerie top exposing much cleavage, danced “rap video girl style” in front of the stage, shaking her booty better than Beyonce. As Radio Orangevale’s set continued with an unusual blend of surf, punk, and blues, Lingerie Girl was joined by a friend with a derriere bigger than J-Lo’s and a personality of equal proportions.

As the ladies partnered with eager males, heads constantly turned from stage to dancers, dancers to stage. Because Radio Orangevale was short on stage presence, the dancers won the visual entertainment battle, but Radio Orangevale clearly outshined the dancers in the talent category, specializing in jamming instrumentals and guitar solos.

Jeepster came prepared for battle, armed with an artillery of tambourines and indie moxie to the infinite power with a sound a little like Weezer, with a smidge of Tom Waits and a touch of Radiohead. Playing such “chill” music, the band was sure to lose to the hyperactive and escalating dancers below.

But just then, when the dancers were gaining momentum with the dancing neck-brace lady dressed in yellow, waiting to meet a fellow, Jeepster pulled out its secret weapon: drummer Justin Goings passion and mad percussion skills. Beating the drums like they stole his woman, Goings energized Jeepsters’ set as the five tambourine players soldiered on behind vocalist Jonah Wells and guitarist Kyle Marcelli.

However, Jeepster wasn’t the only one with a secret weapon: an opposition crowd member began tossing grapes on stage, demanding that the musicians catch them in their mouths. Luckily the band came away from the grape fiasco unharmed and will live to play another day.

Finally it was time for the clash of the titans: Golden Shoulders versus the dancing mob, now on foot and on wheels. Golden Shoulders’ winning strategy was clear: humor and good ole sunny pop rock.  

From the first song, Golden Shoulders clearly had the advantage with their irresistibly catchy “na na na’s” and “whoa whoa whoa’s.”  Singer Adam Kline then began the night’s running joke by telling the crowd, “All right, we’ve got one more song for you. Thanks for coming out!”

As the band played “one more” after “one more,” the dancing gang revved up its act by popping wheelchair wheelies, and dirty dancing like Baby and Johnny. One casualty was suffered when a man fell out of his wheelchair, but his dancing partners propped him back up and the rivalry raged on.  

In the end, Golden Shoulders, who have a Cake meets The Beatles sound with a splash of alt-country, could not be outshined. They egged the dancers on, demanding the enemy voice its grievances to the band.

And since Golden Shoulders were already outside, the band promised to take the battle inside after the show for a performance at Old Ironsides featuring a totally new, but just as equally fierce and combat-ready set.  

The bands left triumphant, but the eccentric dancers will surely be back at Cesar Chavez Plaza (10th & J Streets) next Friday at 5 p.m., ready to steal the show from new challengers Kate Gaffney, Boulevard Park, West of Next, and Christopher Fairman & The Stilts.