Thousands of music fans flock to New York City every New Year’s Eve to see Phish, but they’re not the only show in town. The Disco Biscuits have obviously carved out their lane over the past decade with numerous sold-out shows at the underground venue most recently known as Playstation Theater.
Scattered around those two bands there is always a plethora of great music. And for these smaller bands, it’s a huge opportunity to solidify themselves in the scene and gain some new fans. On December 29th at a sold-out Mercury Lounge, that’s exactly what Space Bacon did.
For months, Space Bacon and their team promoted the show with consistency, and it paid off. After playing the Mercury Lounge on numerous occasions over the years, they sold it out for the second time, capping off the best year in the band’s history thus far.
Their 2019 tour brought them multiple sold-out shows, from West Chester and New Haven to Denver. It also led them into new markets, like Chicago, which is paramount to the future of the band. Their fan base has been with them every step of the way. They wouldn’t have their current success without their fans and the band is very aware of that.
Each member has dialed into their specific roles, working to grow as musicians to ensure that each and every show reaches a higher caliber than the last. They’re constantly searching to bring their jams into uncharted territory, taking the necessary risks to have those mind-altering breakthroughs which propel bands to the next level.
When keyboardist Chris Gironda was asked to reflect on the year, he took a minute before responding, “The whole year has been a wild ride but this last fall tour was an incredible way to cap it off. We let fans and friends write the setlists for nearly every show this tour and it yielded some pretty cool results, while also giving back to those who love and support us. We experimented a lot with our sound these last ten dates; new styles of improv, unique setlists and segues that we hadn’t done before and might not have ever done if the sets were not fan-written,” he said.
Gironda continued: “We had a lot of fun this tour. Encoring with a John Denver song in Denver and hearing 300 people collectively belt the lyrics to “Take Me Home, Country Roads” was a pretty awesome moment. Reflecting musically, I think the highlights of the tour were New Haven, CT on November 16th, Wilkes-Barre, PA on December 7th, and New York City on December 29th. We have all these shows up with full video and audio, so check those out. Audio of our New York City show is coming soon!”
If you were in the building for their show at Mercury Lounge, you would know how special it was. New York City is not an easy place to make it as a band, these streets will chew you up and spit you out. So, when you start to break through as one of the best up and coming acts in the city, it’s extremely meaningful.
Chris described it best, “From a live experience, our second sell out in Denver, debut in Chicago, and the tour closer at home in NYC are probably my personal highlights. We had a lot of fun these last few gigs. In Chicago, some fans came up to let us know they were with us every date of the tour at that point—from Brooklyn to Philly and New Haven to Chicago—which was a pretty humbling experience.”
Watch a pro-shot video of Space Bacon performing “Ice Planet” at Mercury Lounge on December 29th below.
Space Bacon – “Ice Planet” – 12/29/19 – [Pro-Shot]
[Video: Space Bacon]
Below, check out a setlist and gallery of photos from their performance at Mercury Lounge on December 29th courtesy of Space Bacon.
All the pieces are in play for 2020; Space Bacon and their team are currently working to map out what is en route to an even bigger year than 2019. If you’ve been waiting for Bacon to come to your city, this might be the year. Keep your eyes and ears open.
Live For Live Music asked Chris to fill us in on some of the things that Bacon has planned, but he kept things relatively quiet, “We just announced our first show of the year, as tradition we’ll be up in southern Vermont at The Stone Church for some jams and skiing on February 15th, but we have plenty more dates to be announced. I can’t say much else, but yes, there is a lot in the works right now. Just stay tuned in to our social media. We’ll have some big announcements coming early 2020!”
One thing is for sure, this band and their fan base have cultivated something special. In a music scene that is filled with amazing talent, it’s not easy to stand out. You have to have “it”, and Space Bacon just does. If you’re reading this and you aren’t well-versed in their catalog, head over to their Bandcamp and check out one of their most recent shows.
If you’d like to get a visual of what one of their shows looks like, head on over to their YouTube channel. They’re constantly uploading new content for their fans to enjoy.
Whether you’ve been following their ascension over the years, or you just hopped on board in 2019, they’re happy to have your support. It’s going to be exciting to see what the future holds, the sky is the limit for Space Bacon and they’re ready to take their music to the highest level possible.
Setlist: Space Bacon | Mercury Lounge | New York, NY | 12/29/19
Set One: Satellite > Nodes of the Multiverse > Ice Planet > Jupiter
Set Two: Jacknife > Heatseeker > Silencer > Flamethrower[1]
Encore: Boys are Back in Town (Thin Lizzy cover)
Notes:
[1] Switcher fakeout
