Deck the Hall Ball has rockers running

Published 11:06 pm Thursday, December 6, 2007

On Thursday night, Britt Daniel looked briefly amused.

The frontman for Spoon leaned away from the microphone during “The Way We Get By,” a keyboard-heavy number off the group’s 2002 album “Kill the Moonlight.” Some kids in the crowd were pounding their fingers on the air in front of them, like pianists.

Smiling, Daniel leaned in toward Spoon keyboardist Eric Harvey, gesturing at the air- keyboardists. Harvey nodded approval. It was a brief moment, and Daniel didn’t bother bantering about it.

Granted, there was little time for banter at Comcast Arena at the Everett Events Center. With six bands playing for nearly 6,000 people at 107.7 The End’s Deck the Hall Ball, each of the groups was forced to play fairly concise sets.

Most came to see Modest Mouse and Jimmy Eat World — the two acts who could tout platinum sales and were granted longer time slots.

Hailing from Issaquah, Modest Mouse took the stage at 10 p.m. to a thunderous cheer.

The group shot through their pounding “Satin in a Coffin” before cutting to the epic clamor of “Paper Thin Walls.” Then, to a cheer, the group launched into the pulsating pop of “Dashboard,” a single from their latest record, “We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank.”

While Modest Mouse sounded solid, Jimmy Eat World struggled with acoustic problems. Jim Adkins’ vocals were dialed far too low.

The problem persisted for the band through the anthemic pop of “A Praise Chorus” and into “Carry You,” a highlight off their new album, “Chase This Light.” They never sounded great, but still pulled off a transcendent moment, as the crowd hollered along to their uplifting hit “The Middle.”

Coheed and Cambria, the third group to play, also earned a roar.

With one gold album under their belts, the progressive rock act is touring behind the October release, “No World For Tomorrow.” At times, their songs — like the propulsive “The Running Free” — felt like a blur of sharp guitars and head banging.

That was fine by the crowd. Some moshed, others crowd surfed. All cheered.

Coheed, like most other acts, played for about 30 minutes. Those short time slots had pluses and minuses.

“It’s kind of nice, because you get to see a lot more bands,” said Rosemary Salzwedel, a 19-year old from Seattle.

Yes, sure, but Salzwedel missed one of her favorite acts, the Kooks, a group that played a solid set. With most seats still empty at 5 p.m., the four-piece rambled through a quick shot of garage rock, getting the thin crowd to clap along with the tempo-shifting “Time Awaits.” A few more songs would have been welcome.

Still, at times, a short set was a blessing. She Wants Revenge, a brooding ’80s-influenced act that failed to spark the crowd, never came fully alive.

As for Spoon, they nibbled on their last three albums to put together their show. Precise and poppy, the group’s songs clanged and echoed through the still-filling arena, with the keyboard giving a melodic balance to Daniel’s gravelly vocals.

The group closed with a crowd-pleaser, “The Underdog,” which they played on “Saturday Night Live” in October, and quickly exited the stage.

Their time was up.

Reporter Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455 or arathbun@heraldnet.com.