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Timothy S. Griffin

Dan Deacon played Broadway Backyard in Bushwick (pics), Bowery Ballroom & the 9:30 Club (NPR stream)

words by Andrew Frisicano, photos by Tim Griffin

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon, wearing an arm sling because of a dislocated shoulder, played three shows in NYC over the weekend (3/16 & 3/17). The first was a performance at 979 Broadway Backyard, an open lot in Bushwick, Brooklyn under the M train. The spacious spot was a mixture of rocky terrain, freshly cut grass and refuse-laced rubble. Amazingly, even with stage diving through most of the show and Dan Deacon’s constant dancing instructions that sent people running across the space, there weren’t any (more) major injuries (that I know of) from falling on the dark, uneven ground.

Acoustically, Deacon and the band sounded much better than at their Brooklyn Masonic Temple performance last December (didn’t see NYU in April). “The ensemble,” as Deacon referred to his band throughout the night, played clearly, with a sound that added nuance to Deacon’s usual overblown-synth sound.

Dan Deacon stood on stage all set and filled the space between songs with instructions for dancing, rants about elves, warnings about stavediving (particularly after someone knocked his gear on to the front row) and appreciation to the neighborhood. The heavy crowd participation (singing, making people-bridges, dancing in a circle) came off as genuine and matched the spirit of the ad hoc venue (which I’m sure took a lot of cooperation to get together), its summer-fest vibe and the energetic crowd.

Teeth Mountain and Future Islands opened the show. One commenter writes that “homosexuals were an unannounced special guest, right at 6:15.”

The second and third Dan Deacon shows of the weekend were at the Bowery Ballroom on Saturday, March 16th. How were they? On Sunday he played the 9:30 Club in DC, and like they did for Animal Collective, NPR recorded and is streaming the whole show.

More pictures from the Friday show with all tour dates from Dan Deacon’s upcoming European tour, below…

Teeth Mountain

Teeth Mountain

Teeth Mountain

Teeth Mountain

Teeth Mountain

Teeth Mountain

Teeth Mountain

Teeth Mountain

Teeth Mountain

Teeth Mountain

Teeth Mountain

Teeth Mountain

Teeth Mountain

Teeth Mountain

Teeth Mountain

Teeth Mountain

Teeth Mountain

Teeth Mountain

Teeth Mountain

Teeth Mountain

Teeth Mountain

Teeth Mountain

Teeth Mountain

Teeth Mountain

Teeth Mountain

Teeth Mountain

Teeth Mountain

Teeth Mountain

Future Islands

Future Islands

Future Islands

Future Islands

Future Islands

Future Islands

Future Islands

Future Islands

Future Islands

Future Islands

Future Islands

Future Islands

Future Islands

Future Islands

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon waving to a subway train

Dan Deacon – 2009 Tour Dates
Fri 29-May-09 Spain Barcelona Primavera Sound
Sat 30-May-09 Portugal Porto Multidisciplinary Art Festival
Sun 31-May-09 France Paris Villette Sonique Festival
Tue 02-Jun-09 UK Manchester Club Academy*
Wed 03-Jun-09 Ireland Dublin Andrews Place*
Fri 05-Jun-09 UK London ULU^
Sat 06-Jun-09 France Cherbourg Terra Trema
Sun 07-Jun-09 Belgium Brussels Botanique – Orangerie
Sun 08-Jun-09 Amsterdam NL Paradiso (solo show)