Ghostland Observatory @ House of Blues

Houston's newest venue, House of Blues, played host to electro-funk duo Ghostland Observatory on Tuesday, October 14th. While we are pretty big fans of the up-and-coming Austinites, we actually were more excited to see what the House of Blues had to offer. With the venue's promising calendar, we were really hoping for good things to come from our first experience at the brand new establishment.

Read more about the show after the jump

We showed up late due to a prior commitment, so unfortunately I missed my opportunity to photograph the band from the pit. After stopping by the bar for a drink ($8 Miller Lite, $7 rum & diet), we planted ourselves towards the back of the packed crowd. My opportunity to take pictures from the main floor was pretty limited due to a full room and hardcore security guards, so we decided to head upstairs to the balcony to see if we'd fare better there. We moved towards the front of the seating area to get the best view of singer/guitarist Aaron Behrens and noisemaker Thomas Turner as they tore through their set of originals. After getting yelled at once more for trying to take pictures (even though I had a photo pass), I decided to ditch the camera and just enjoy the show.

Their set consisted of many favorites from their first two albums, but seemed to lean more heavily upon their newest album Robotique Majestique; songs from this disc that made an appearance on their HoB setlist included "Heavy Heart," "Dancing On My Grave" and "The Band Marches On." Their light show, which was once limited to only a single laser, is now a full-on extravaganza, doubling the lasers and also adding a host of other lighting apparatuses. They provided the perfect visual stimuli to go along with the frenetic, energy-filled show for which the duo have become known. The crowd fed off the energy coming from Aaron Behrens, which in turn seemed to make him perform with even more vigor. Always paying attention to his fans, Behrens made constant glances towards individuals in attendance, giving them points and nods of approval throughout the show.

The encore began with my favorite, "Silver City," which got the crowd moving again after the short set break. They continued on with several more tunes, finally ending an evening that made even the most conservative folks in the audience get up off their feet. It would have been a bit better to have a nice buzz towards the end of the show, but there was no way I could talk myself into throwing down eight more dollars for another brewski. Also, the overbearing security presence throughout the evening was quite a disappointment as well as a distraction. I hope that House of Blues irons out these kinks while they are getting their feet on the ground; otherwise Houston's music scene might not welcome the establishment with the open arms that they were hoping for. I guess we can only wait and see.

For a venue that has everything going for it (great sound, decent sightlines, many bars), but needs to fix a few problems, I give the House Of Blues 5.6/10 yolks.

For a rowdy performance from a band that often seems to shine brighter in an outdoor setting filled with fine festival-goers, I give Ghostland Observatory 7.8/10 yolks.

View more pictures from the show at our Flickr page.

-Eggs