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Say Hi (To Your Mom) @ The Echo, 10/17
On a particularly hot and sticky evening, thoughtful rockers Say Hi (formerly known as Say Hi to Your Mom) took the stage at the Echo to a happily receptive crowd. After getting warmed up to the pleasant tunes of Princeton and Jukebox The Ghost, the audience had their dancing shoes laced up and were raring to go. They had come to see a band that is known for their catchy pop, but more importantly for their entertaining lyrics that capture the essence of what it is to be melancholy.
But here's the honest, heartbreaking truth: lead singer, Eric Elbogen is a mumbler. He mumbles with a geeky earnestness which is incredibly endearing, but you cannot hear a word that he's saying. This was the great tragedy of the night. I had gone to revel in the quirky, imaginative lyrics about vampires, spaceships, and Swedish pop songs, that I had grown to love over the course of their four albums, and I couldn't make out a single word.
As if to make up for Elbogen's mumbling, Luke Heath, the keyboardist, threw his body into some of the most serious dancing I have ever seen from a keyboard player. Keeping one hand on the chord, the rest of his body would take off into flight. It was almost as if he was a little kid playing dance tag and had to keep one hand on the base, while dancing with wild abandon with every other appendage. It was pretty great.
I believe that the person who had the most fun that night, was a tie between the drummer, Westin Glass, and a young man in plaid in the front row. Glass would light up like a kid who got his Christmas presents early before one of his solos. His whole face would radiate happiness the moment before he went off in a torrent of beats.
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The plaid clad lad in the front row danced in a pseudo-skank formation with such vigor, that at one point threatened the safety of his compatriots, but he recovered. No one was as excited to see that band as he was.
This youthful mischief, I think is what Say Hi is made of. At one point during the night, a water fight broke out between Glass and Heath, that made Elbogen announce with a big grin, "I will turn this concert around right now! We will start at the beginning of the set."
Say Hi (to Your Mom) is as the title advertises. A band of dudes who can play easy to absorb rock and supply impish revelry at their shows. Bring your inner kid to the show. Even if you can't understand a word.
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