MusicMarauders Presents: Particle's 80s Flashback 1.19.13

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The Fox Theatre
Boulder, CO

Words & Photos By Kevin Hahn

The last time I saw Particle perform live I swore that I would never go see them again. It was about five years ago, and from what I hear the band was going through a transitional phase. So what in the hell was I thinking when I signed up to cover the Particle 80’s Throwback night at the Fox Theater? Yes, I was blinded by the light so to say… but maybe, just maybe Particle could make up for their past sins and repair the fractured image they had formed in my brain.

So how did the night go you ask? To put it simply… Particle fucking killed it! To say this night was just fun is an understatement. From the outrageous set list, to the smiling band members on stage, to the raucous Boulder crowd Particle had our feet moving and grooving from the moment they stepped on stage. The night started off with a great rendition of “Electric Avenue” and 80's hits such as “Safety Dance”, “Sledgehammer”, and “Material Girl” followed with crisp transitions and unique arrangements of songs often forgotten about. The Boulder crazies were also blessed with the addition of Pete Wall on saxophone, which only lifted the band into a more dynamic and hard-hitting group. “You Can Call Me Al”, “The Final Countdown”, and “Eye of the Tiger” were also well received by crowd and all I could do was smile and laugh at my previous disdain for this group.

Well folks, it is safe to say that Particle is back. And back with a mission they are! After a few years of noodling with popularity, Particle has decided to burst back on the scene and make up for the time they have lost. I am personally excited to see them come back to Colorado in the future, hopefully with some new material or even a well-rehearsed catalog of their older tunes. If the Boulder show was any indication I truly believe Particle will start to draw in large crowds once again on the jamtronica scene. They sounded like a well-oiled machine with Steve Molitz and Eric Gould leading the charge. The rifts were funky, transitions were cleanly executed, and with each 80s hit the crowd became more and more enamored with this “old-school” act. Let’s all hope their current hot streak continues, because it is always good to see a past all-star return to form and kill it once again. Particle you are the Comeback Player of the Year in my opinion… and Peyton Manning will be sending you his trophy shortly.

Kevin's Photo Gallery

www.particlepeople.com

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