On Tuesday, October 16th at the House of Blues Dallas, I witnessed my third Sleigh Bells concert. Once again, they did not disappoint. The first two times I saw them was at the Granada in Dallas, and I have to say I did enjoy the intimate setting a bit better there, but truthfully no matter where you are Alexis will find you and pull you in. The duo called Sleigh Bells consists of Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss, but they also had a second guitar player playing with them on this tour, Jason Boyer. Their stage setup was standard for them, which means an entire wall of speakers filling the stage with an immense number of colored and strobe lights throughout. I must give props to their lighting guys. They add the best environment for Lexi to thrive in. The blinding lights timed to the constant beats of the music just made the entire show feel like its own individual world.
This hour long set never had a pause, with tracks from both Treats and Reign of Terror. The crowd was radiating energy like a beast, and Lexie was in control of it every minute. It is so hard to describe this band to others who have not heard their music. It is grinding guitars, pulsing beats, and almost hip hop type lyrics. Even if you listen to the albums and you feel like you can’t get into the music, I HIGHLY suggest you take in a live performance before you write them off. Krauss’ performance is basically an entire aerobic workout on stage. This was one of the hardest shows to photograph for me, not only because of the constantly changing and sometimes blinding lights, but simply because they never sit still long enough to get in a shot!
My husband and fellow LIR writer Sarah also attended this concert. They managed to push their way into the very tight mob that was in the center area of the pit. Alexis is very known for standing on the front crowd barriers and running and jumping into the audience that is screaming their invitations to her. She constantly touched hands and chatted with audience members in between songs. There was a group of fans directly in front that proudly told her this was their eighth time to seeing them live. This band has a very loyal following, with almost everyone I talked to that night having already seen perform live. Two times she leapt gleefully into the chanting crowd to surf. The second time the crowd was a little wobbly holding her up, and in a moment of unsteadiness, she locked eyes with the hubs, who happens to be a 6’ 5” security officer, and grabbed on for dear life. I was fortunate enough to be up on the balcony taking shots and caught on film what is a moment he is still bragging about to anyone who will listen.
Great songs like “Have a Heart, “Infinity Guitars,” and “Comeback Kid” were all wonderfully done. Alexis put a little bit of a new spin on my personal favorite “Born to Lose” by singing the first course a cappella before going into the full version. While some of the lyrics of songs are more forceful and almost yelled, this chick can sing beautifully, too.
As the end came, she finally finished by sitting on the stage in a giant, smiling, sweaty goodbye to the crowd. She promised their return to their always killer crowds in Dallas with a new album. I have no doubt most of the people there will be back to once again to ride that ride.
Gallery of 35 photos from the show:
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Review and Photos by Reanna Streater-Nunn
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