North Park Festival of the Arts
The Rapture's Luke Jenner - Photo by Andrew Scoggins
At The Irenic last Saturday, The Rapture guitarist/singer Luke Jenner stood stiffly at the pulpit in front of the microphone, a huge wooden cross hanging above his curly-haired head. Fresh from Coachella, the New York City disco-punk pioneers delivered a steamy set, playing songs from most of their albums. With the group’s thumping beats and punchy guitar riffs, a packed house of Sierra Nevada-swilling concertgoers didn’t stop dancing until the lights came back on.
It looks like this relatively new all-ages venue--which doubles as a church--has worked out some of its growing pains: The Rapture didn’t face the sound problems that plagued a show last month. Possibly burnt out from the previous night's performance at Coachella, the musicians looked slightly lethargic at first, but they were goaded on by the crowd’s enthusiastic roaring. Feeding off the energy, Jenner started fist-bumping like a champ during a rousing take on “Pieces of the People We Love." With his lively playing, saxophonist Gabriel Andruzzi helped whip things into a frenzy for the rest of the set.
When the echoes of finale “Echoes” subsided, it looked like the rapture had indeed taken place inside the church. The floor was covered with crushed Coors Light cans, broken glass, and unsightly beer splatters. Hopefully, the show’s organizers were able to clean it all up before Sunday morning mass.
