Bloglander

As the sun set on another weekend and the city of Spokane prepared for Monday, several hundred blessed few were at the Knitting Factory to witness a night of pure musical fusion. Big Gigantic's Get On Up tour came through Spokane red-hot, and boy did things get funky.

Things kicked off with Beauflexx, a Seattle-native living in Spokane who has played shows and festivals with the likes of Datsik, Steve Aoki and the Dirty Phonics. Setting the stage for the bigger acts isn't always easy, but Beauflexx made it look simple, filling the audience's ears with driving dub step and house beats. Not as funky as the Floozies and Big Gigantic, Beauflexx set the energy high from the start, but one could just sense a longing in the air... a longing for the funk.

When the Floozies took the stage, guitar and drum sticks in hand, the entire atmosphere in the building changed. From the first tasty guitar phrase, there was a sense that something incredible was about to happen. The energy between the crowd and guitarist Matt Hill was palpable as he drank from his beer on stage, grinning from ear to ear. This wasn't your everyday EDM show. This was a concert, with live music and live energy, and the audience was feeling it, on their skin, in their ears and in their hearts. On this Sunday night, everybody in that building was fighting for just a bit more weekend, and for those few hours, nobody had a worry in the world. 

And then Big Gigantic happened. With the honk of a saxophone, everybody in the Knitting Factory found themselves a part of a revolution. It was a climax of euphoria for a music-loving millennial; the integrity of live, genuine music with the thrill of EDM and bass drops. Big G opened with a couple of hits, including their new single "Good Times Roll", and as the main act got into the meat of their set list, I was filled with hope. The whole room was filled with hope. It was as if with every delicious lick played by Dominic Lalli on his iconic saxophone, he was elevating every person in that room to a new level. In a world filled with pop music, cheap hooks and a billion "up and coming" electronic artists, Big Gigantic satiates the desire for music of greater integrity. 

As Lalli and bandmate Jeremy Salken worked their way into the back end of their set with bangers like "Sky High" and "Get On Up", I couldn't help but feel romantic about it all. My love for jazz and funk music was rekindled. After finishing up their set, to nobody's surprise, Big Gigantic was called back for an encore and they didn't disappoint. The curtain call lasted about 15 minutes, including an appearance on stage by the members of the Floozies. 

With the final drop, that evening ended, leaving the audience members to stroll out into the night in bewilderment of what they had just experienced. The echo of Lalli's saxophone seemed to float out into the crisp October air.