Gecs at the Royale
By Diogo Fernandes Tavares
The first time I ever went to the movie theaters was for the opening weekend of Alvin and the Chipmunks: Squeakquel. It was a birthday present upon my request since those little three chipmunks were my dream, my goal to achieve. To be a popstar in sui generis — a furball of jams, a beast of tunes, a lizard of sounds. I remember my excitement where I was sitting in the dark auditorium that smelled like buttered up popcorn and ICEE and seeing Alvin and his siblings singing in squeak in the battle of the bands competition while our very own Emerson alum (life comes in full circle) David Cross sabotaged those poor talented chipmunks from winning. I was so satisfied with the movie.
October 25th was the second time I ever went to a concert. It felt like Alvin and the Chipmunks: Squeakquel all over again. Instead of chipmunks, I saw two gecs perform their squeak out. The Royale was packed to see 100 gecs on a trivial Monday night, for the presence of Laura Les and Dylan Brady were enough to evoke a moshing before my 8 a.m. class the morning.
Before the event started, I almost wagered a bet about the length of the show. I thought the show was going to be 2 hours long. The doors opened at 7 p.m., but my friends and I arrived around 7:30. The opening act Alice Gas played some of the whitest music I had ever heard. I think they either played a hyperpop remix of “Black Parade” or “American Idiot”, I wouldn’t have a clue. Gas’s set ended at around 8:30 and by the end of it my ear drums were so numb I was wondering if they were playing static sounds for background music.
100 gecs came out in their wizard wardrobe with a wizard hat shortly after. Laura Les did all the talking, speaking in an heavily autotuned microphone that squeaked while Dylan Brady had only used the mic to growl his part of the songs. “What up, Boston,” said Laura Les, then both of them left mid-performance. They returned to perform a new song for their upcoming album and name of the tour 10000 gecs titled “What’s That Smell” to a smelly, stinky crowd. I thought the song was a joke, but Dylan Brady did his signature growl and it was sealed. I reassured my friend Yankel that we were responsible for the smell in this cesspool of gecs. Finally, the set was over before 10. The show was less than 2 hours; I should have placed that bet.
Why did I bring up the first time I went to the movies? I want the reader to understand that the weird obsessions you had as a child awkwardly crawls back into your life. Without the body of work that Alvin and the Chipmunk had produced (Bad Romance Alvin and The Chipmunk Remix), maybe I would not be at a 100 gecs concert. I like the squeak.