Now, I've seen Cake in concert before. It was an incredible show at DAR Constitution Hall with two opening bands, Brazilian Girls and a singer/songwriter whose name I don't recall. By some incredible turn of events, we were even in the front row. That, being said, their recent show at 9:30 Club has now snuck its way into my top 5 concerts ever. It certainly helps that Cake is now also in my top 5 favorite bands.
Cake, for those of you who don't know, had that huge hit back in the 90's, The Distance. Since then, they have put out about one or two hit songs per album (now totaling 6 released stateside). Personally, I love their sound which is unique to the band, blending elements of ska, country, rock, and jazz. You hear a Cake song, and instantly know it's Cake (with the exception of maybe Jolene off of Motorcade of Generosity).
On top of the great music, the 9:30 Club debuted (rather appropriately, I might add) their new cupcakes. Done up to be a fancy version of the popular Hostess Cupcakes, these cupcakes boast a thick head of chocolate ganache with a fantastic buttercream filling.
Lead singer, John McCrea not only provides the recognizable "Hey's" and "Yah's" but is truly a band leader conducting not only the other band members but the audience in what might be some of the best audience participation one could experience at a show. Like at Constitution Hall, McCrea engaged the audience in competitive sing-a-longs making comparison of "the have's and the have not's", "the winners and the losers", ""those who are worthwhile and those who just coast by on the efforts of others". McCrea has this way of saying things where it leads me to believe that he's doing things mostly for his amusement in a Kaufmanesque inside joke. Extremely charismatic, McCrea has great banter and snarky remarks reserved for overenthusiastic viewers who might ruin the experience for others. This was readily apparent in the band's custom of giving away a tree to a lucky concert goer that can answer a trivia question. McCrea scanned the audience looking for someone "that is quiet, and gazing at me with intensity. So if you're yelling at me? I'm not going to call on you."
John McCrea was not alone in his musical excellence. Vince DiFiore provided a show of his own with incredible trumpeting and synth work. Half of the group I came with was standing near the front in front of the lead guitarist, while a few of my other friends and I were gathered in front of Vince. During intermission, I convinced the remainder of my group to come over to watch the jazz heavy solos. Vince also provides excellent background vocals and even came to the fore for one song. Bassist Gabe Nelson provides some of the most underrated bass solos I've had the pleasure of watching/hearing.
The band played for nearly an hour and a half for the first portion of the night with about half an hour for the second portion followed by two encores. The band played three new songs from a forth coming album. McCrea informed the audience that they can release it on their own schedule given that they have separated from their record label; joining the growing ranks of popular musicians who are moving to independent publishing. Between the great snacks, the extremely intimate venue I don't think I could have asked for a better first experience at the 9:30 Club for my friends.
