Deck the Hall Ball still rocking after two decades

  • By Andy Rathbun Herald Writer
  • Thursday, November 29, 2012 8:53am
  • LifeGo-See-Do

It began in 1992, when alt-rock radio station The End (KNDD-FM) held a holiday concert at the Seattle Art Museum with then up-and-comers Evan Dando and Sarah McLachlan.

Now, two decades later, the Deck the Hall Ball has become an institution, drawing some of the biggest names and most buzzed about acts in rock.

This year’s installment continues the Christmastime tradition, as the Killers provide broad appeal to a bill that also features M83, Awolnation, Passion Pit, the Lumineers, Grouplove, Of Monsters and Men and the Joy Formidable.

The concert takes place at KeyArena, with the hefty line-up of bands beginning to take the stage at 3 p.m. Tuesday.

The Killers are by far the biggest name on the bill, the only act that can claim several platinum-selling records. The Las Vegas band has scored its biggest hits with tracks like “Mr. Brightside” and “All These Things That I’ve Done,” both off its 2004 debut, “Hot Fuss.”

The group’s theatrical take on rock also earned it a loyal following — its latest album, “Battle Born,” bowed this fall at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.

That stadium-tested act aside, the rest of the bill is filled with bands more accustomed to playing clubs and theaters. Several of the groups should take to the bigger stage, though.

Bands worth seeing include Passion Pit, which scored a hit this year with the thumping electronica of “Take a Walk”; the Lumineers, which released a nearly perfect album of alt-rock earlier this year; and M83, which might fit well in the arena setting, given the spectacular sweep of its double album, “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming.”

Tickets are $147.08 to $63.57 at ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000. If those sell out, as expected, tickets are also available at a mark-up through stubhub.com.

• • •

Elsewhere, the Blue Scholars will take the stage at the Showbox at the Market for a show at 8 p.m. Friday.

The Seattle-based underground rap duo has won acclaim for blending its beats with jazz, world music and socially conscious rhymes that tackle issues such as racism and immigration.

The group has long been considered a powerful live act. Its latest tour finds it playing a string of dates along the West Coast, before heading east for shows in Chicago and New York City.

Opening acts include Don’t Talk to the Cops and Brothers from Another.

Tickets are $20 at showboxonline.com or 888-929-7849.

• • •

Another local act will headline the Moore Theater at 8 p.m. Saturday.

Jherek Bischoff has been dubbed a “Seattle phenom” by the New Yorker, which lauds the multi-instrumentalist’s innovative composing.

The experimental indie rocker will be playing music from his debut, the aptly titled “Composed,” which, on one track, featured the grandfather of experimental alt-rock, David Byrne — the former frontman for the Talking Heads.

Tickets are $17.50 at stgpresents.org or 877-784-4849.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.