Kari Williams posted on December 12, 2011 07:41
It’s not often that a gingerbread man says you have to hug him before you walk by, but I’m sure I wasn’t the only person who had that happen at the Very Ludo Christmas show this weekend.
Ludo returned home with their Christmas tradition, bringing Chicago’s Treaty of Paris and St. Louis’s OPTION//CONTROL.
Near-angelic music rang through the Pageant as Santa Claus walked across the stage and put presents under the Christmas tree. When he turned on the tree’s lights, cheers that would continue for Ludo started, as the St. Louis natives kicked off their set “Broken Bride,” “Go-Getter Greg” and “Hum Along.”
After the older hits, Ludo went into “Rotten Town” from the latest album. While playing, Tim Convy waged battle against the giant inflatable Santa parked next to him on stage, adding a touch of unscripted humor to the night.
My personal favorite, “Topeka,” was next, during which Convy had even more problems with the Christmas decorations, as the mock fireplace in front of his keyboard kept falling down. But not to let the stage decoration malfunctions get in the way of the Ludo spirit, “Girls On Trampolines” kept the crowd up and moving and singing every word with the quirky and creative St. Louis natives.
It was plain to see that the band gels so well together on stage, and the personalities of each band member shine. From Matt Palermo to Tim Ferrell, none of the Ludo clan is shunned from the spotlight.
The night took on an enigmatic feel as the audience became one in singing the obnoxiously excellent lyrics Ludo is known and loved for with songs such as “Laundry Girl” and “Lake Pontchartrain.”
Throughout the night each album was accounted for in one way or another, whether from “Anything for You” from “Prepare the Preparations” to “Save Our City” from “Broken Bride.”
However, what could arguably be considered one of the show’s highlights occurred during “Whipped Cream,” before which Volpe said he wanted to make the walls of the Pageant pregnant. Rudolph, Frosty and the rest of the yuletide characters meandering around the Pageant throughout the night joined Ludo on stage to help make that happen.
Before long, just about everyone at the venue was dancing in step with Ludo’s Chirstmas crew, including a few guys from the opening acts.
After “putting some whipped cream on it”, Volpe told the crowd they had to sit down and be completely quiet for Christmas carols. Volpe and company walked through the crowd and stood on the railing between the pit and the over 21 side of the venue singing Christmas classics with no mics.
Just about everyone in attendance sang along to “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Jingle Bells” and others. The intimate setting made this part of the show that much more enjoyable.
Back on stage, they went straight into “Love Me Dead,” as their natural charisma continued to dominate. “Goodwill Hunting By Myself” was the second to last song, and “A Very Ludo Christmas” ended the night.
Before rocking out to the last song, Volpe referenced all the Christmas decorations on stage and said that those things are not Christmas. “What really matters are the gifts, and you’re the greatest gift Ludo has ever had. You are Christmas.”
Chicago’s Treaty of Paris took the stage previously, beginning with “The Aftermath.” Having never heard Treaty of Paris before, the five piece band’s smooth and catchy sound made me an instant fan. I especially liked that the first Christmas song they played, “Anything for Christmas,” was original. It was a nice change from the cover songs that spring up this time of year. All of their songs, including “Elvis Lives” and “Why Am I Still Broke?” kept the crowd upbeat and excited as the night progressed.
With each song, I became more of a fan of these guys. They had a really good sound and everyone seemed to be into them. From “Currents” to “Here Goes Nothing” to “Waking Up the Dead,” Treaty of Paris was in sync, energetic and entertaining to watch. During “Loved You All Along” lead singer Mike Chorvat hopped off the stage and was right up by the pit singing, literally, into the crowd to end their set.
OPTION//CONTROL opened the show in explosive fashion, starting “Ready to Go” and “Start Tonight.” They continued the trend of newer songs with “Falling Star” and “Saw Her There,” but weaved in tunes from their first EP such as “Let Me Know.”
This local band’s energy, which was evident from the first not to the last, was incredible. In the short amount of time since I last saw them (about eight months ago), they have improved ten-fold.
Craig Jenkins’s ability to shift the musical style from pop to rap was seamless, making it interesting, enjoyable and just plain awesome for people (like me) who are not huge fans of rap.
The crowd definitely got more and more into the set with each song — and, like me, seemed to really like and appreciate Jenkins’s skills.
It also helps that the chemistry between these five guys was incredible. OPTION//CONTROL definitely set tone for the night and got people even more excited than they already were.
Ludo and Treaty of Paris trekked to Chicago on Sunday to finish the first-ever, two-day showing of A Very Ludo Christmas.