Neon Trees

review & photos by Amanda Slater

Neon Trees and the Limousines lit up Saint Andrews in Detroit last Wednesday.

The two man “indietronica” duo known as the Limousines led with an energetic set that was driven by the band’s only

The Limousines

 on-stage instrument–a keyboard with effects manned by instrumentalist and producer Giovanni Giusti and the antics of songwriter and vocalist Eric Victorino.  Although, when you are a two man band with only one instrument, there are some extra challenges that come along with performing live, the duo’s catchy tracks made up for those factors. The audience perked up when the opening bars of the singles “Very Busy People” and ”The Internet Killed the Video Star” began to play. For the duration of the Limousines’ set, the group’s dancy pop hooks and energy kept the audience entertained, and extras (like a surprise confetti drop) kept them on their toes.

When Neon Trees took the stage, they started off with instant energy, fueled by frontman Tyler Glenn’s captivating stage presence. Even the audience members that only knew the group’s hit single “Animal” were kept entertained as Glenn sang while dancing, lying on the stage and climbing up stacks of amps and hyped the crowd up like an old-time preacher, preaching the “gospel of music.” However, it wasn’t just Glenn that kept the crowd engaged. From drummer Elaine Bradley to  guitarist Chris Allen to bassist Branden Campbell, all members were firing on all cylinders.

Tyler Glenn

Partway through the group’s performance, Glenn ripped off his yellow leather bomber jaket to reveal a black sleeveless shirt with a leopard print cross on the back. But although Glenn can at times be larger than life as a performer, he can also be down to earth. He balanced his on stage acrobatics with seemingly candid conversations with the audience, during which he admitted that he had wanted to be on stage ever since he was a little boy.

“I don’t drink,” he said at one point during the show. “I don’t do drugs because I don’t like to feel out of control. I don’t like sex because I don’t like the way it feels. I’m a little awkward, but I love music and I love my fans. I don’t get to see my loved ones much, but I get to see you guys every night.”

By the end of the group’s set, everyone from the audience to the band was drenched in sweat. However, the crowd wanted more and brought the band back out for an encore performance that started out with, “Attraction,” which Glenn performed wearing sunglasses. By the end of the night, which came a few songs later, Glenn had the entire crowd singing along to “Sins of My Youth,” repeatedly singing the line ”I’ve got these habits that I cannot break” along with Glenn and the rest of the band.

Click here to check out more photos from last Wednesday’s show at the iSPY blog.