The 100 Gecs hype machine pulled into Utah April 12. While I can recommend their 2023 release 10,000 Gecs without reservation, the 100 Gecs Salt Lake City Show was a total bore.
Here’s what you didn’t miss.
100 Gecs Salt Lake City show starts strong
It was a promising beginning for the 100 Gecs Salt Lake City Show. Like on the album open, Dylan Brady and Laura Les roll onto stage with the THX sound logo deep enough to make most of the teen boys in the audience sterile. It’s a kickin’ statement, though, and they launched immediately into album opener “Dumbest Girl in the World.” Dylan in his trademark yellow wizard cloak and hat and Laura in a her less-wizardly T-shirt and jeans.
Loud can’t hide dull Gecs performance
The Gecs rolled through several other anthemic crowd-favorites like “Hollywood Baby,” “Doritos & Fritos,” “One Million Dollars” and “I Got My Tooth Removed.” The band also dipped into debut 1,000 Gecs with “Stupid Horse,” “Hand Crushed by a Mallet” and “ringtone.” Here’s the studio version of “ringtone.”
Honestly hearing both albums side-by-side, the the nu metal dorkiness of 100 Gecs sophomore album is a real improvement from the endless autotune of their debut.
100 Gecs Salt Lake City show bores fast
Dylan and Les DJ nearly their entire show.
I guess that’s fine if the compositions are impractical to tour or the artist really wants to be in the moment. But if you’re going to DJ your show you better Beastie Boys the freaking stage. The 100 Gecs show was oddly static. They NEEDED instruments — anything — to occupy them. Dylan, in particular, was very nearly idle.
Unfortunately after a half hour when someone finally handed Laura Les a guitar, the crawling and self-absorbed solo brought the show to a crashing halt.
Laura intro’d most of the songs and a couple of these were cute: “This is a song about a frog. And a floor. The song is called ‘Frog on the Floor.'” Amusing enough.
However she was also responsible for most of the inane stage banter which consisted of at least three, “SLC, how are we doin’?!!?!!” It was real Spinal Tap energy, but not ironically.
Dreadful 100 Gecs Salt Lake City show: 4 words
Was I intensely self-aware of my age watching this all play out, behind at least three wizard-capped 14-year-olds? Yes, yes I was. But I usually am that self-conscious and I can compartmentalize with the best of them to enjoy a show.
I expected loud, dumb fun but not boredom. This night, the Gecs were dreck. I walked out after about 50 minutes.
Four words: Just buy the album.