The Living Statues continued to mesmerize me at their concert Saturday in Der Rathskeller. Having seen the talented band in the past at the Night at the Overture my freshman year, I knew I was in for a thrilling performance. The four sharply-dressed men packed the place with dancing locals and had a performance so hot they fogged the windows of Memorial Union so that the winter wonderland outside could no longer be seen.
Opening for The Living Statues was a local band from Milwaukee called Midnight Reruns. The group was an entertaining bunch with a Weezer-like sound to them. The catchy beats coming from their instrumental expertise had the crowd swaying and they even had a chunk of the audience on their feet and dancing towards the end of their performance.
As the growing crowd waited for The Living Statues to start, Memorial Union workers rushed to make more space for dancing on the floor. As a frequenter of Der Rathskeller for concerts I can report that rarely does a group bring in this kind of audience, but this was not The Living Statues’ first time there. Guitarist and lead vocalist Tommy Shears pointed out during the performance that the last time they were in Der Rathskeller it was 2013 and there were less than 20 people there.
At one point Shears took a scream poll to find out how many members of the audience had seen them in the past. Although it’s difficult to be accurate with these methods, in my opinion, and in the opinion that Shears announced, about half the crowd had seen the band at past performances. The Living Statues are quickly growing a large local following.
This band was all about interacting with each other as well as the audience. As they danced around the stage the chords would tangle but this never seemed to faze these skilled musicians. Shears would share fun anecdotes with the audience to transition between songs. For example, he introduced “All My Girls” by saying “this is a song about a girl I hate.”
Musically the band was on the ball. Featuring guitar solos from their newest member, Zak Rickun, a funky bass line from Alex Thornburg, upbeat drums and head bobs from Chris Morales and the charming voice of Shears, the band seemed to have it all… including suave hair.
At the end of the concert the band stuck around to sell albums and posters while also signing autographs. Rickun even signed a man’s chest. While for now their concerts are typically free for the audience, I wouldn’t expect this to continue for much longer, and I’m not the only one who thinks so. The band is one of the “6 Wisconsin Bands to Watch for 2015,” according to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The Living Statues are tremendously talented and a blast to watch and I look forward to following their journey, which I expect will be successful.
