Photo by ontheDL Photography
The Scene: Last Saturday night the Ogden Theatre brought us the greatest annual Halloween treat Denver has to offer – The Motet’s annual Halloween run – two weeks late. Though this year it was a bit past the holiday deadline, that didn’t stop the loyal fans of this local Funk band from stepping out in full force for what was dubbed as the “Hometown Hustle.” For weeks this show was the talk of the town, and the anticipation was sky high for the band’s rabid fans.
The Motet’s has played a Halloween show in Colorado for as long as we can remember and it has become tradition – a staple of the Denver live music scene – and something that us Front Range dwellers look forward to all year round. Decked out in costumes straight from the days of bell bottoms and Afros, the audience had completely sold-out the house, making for one hot and sweaty dance party; something The Motet is quickly becoming the king of in live music scenes around the country.
The Motet: Our long-awaited evening with The Motet kicked off with a full set of Motet originals – which came as a bit of a surprise to some considering the Halloween shows have traditionally been strictly covers. However, the band whipped out brand new tracks and a number of guest performers to make the first half of the night something special and up to par with the high expectations that surrounded the evening.
Having recently been moving away from the “cover band” genre for their Halloween shows, the decision to split the night down the middle between originals and covers was a strategic move that allowed the audience to experience the best of both Motet worlds – incredible versions of old-school tunes and funky, fresh originals.
The first set really drove home how much potential The Motet has as a new-age, unique and original Funk band. “Jam Around the Corner,” “Fight the Power,” and “Power” were included in this first set. The highlight, however, would come with “DMSR.” Frontman Jans Ingber took the lead on this one, initiating a call-and-response with the crowd that consisted of the song’s acronym meaning – “dance,” “music,” “sex,” and “romance.”
With Porter on the keys, Dave Watts on the drums, Ryan Jalbert and Garrett Sayers on the electric and bass guitars beloved originals and personal favorites like “Shake” and “123” were inevitably jammed out towards the end of the set, getting the audience pumped for the second half of this late night dance party.
The second set consisted of the renditions of twelve hit singles from the year 1977. To keep in theme, the band stepped onstage dressed in their best gear – Porter shirtless under his beige suede vest, Ingber in a western inspired shirt and bell-bottoms, and Sayers rocking’ some sweet plaid pants.
First up was the dance number “Brother Man” by Brothers Johnson, and the dancing moved right along through Parliament Funkadelic’s “Flashlight” and The Meter’s “Funkify Your Life.” A sing-along came next with The Trammps’ “Disco Inferno,” lead by Ingber and his rowdy accompanying vocalists, and accompanied by the entire audience belting “burn, baby burn!”
Thelma Houston’s bluesy tune “Don’t Leave Me This Way” was next and came to a soulful close before the band transitioned to something a little different. The night took a quick detour into the Rock-n-Roll genre with the Steve Miller Band’s “Fly Like An Eagle,” which offered another chance for a solid sing-along from the audience.
“Funk Factory” by Rose Royce brought the heat, and with it another serious get-down, before busting out Johnny Watson’s “A Real Mother For Ya.” It was a groovin’, boogieing time for us Denver folks and, looking around the room, you knew this group was having a better time than anywhere else on the Front Range.
The highlight of The Motet’s “Spirit of 1977” was inevitably the last few songs of the evening. Marvin Gaye’s sensual “Got To Give It Up” was the final song of the second set; a smooth and seductive transition from out of the set and into the two-part encore.
With a curfew moving quickly towards us, the band took the shortest amount of time possible to take a break and get their booties right back on stage for the remainder of their show. Now, if the audience hadn’t gotten enough of classic 70’s sing-alongs, they sure did as soon as The Motet whipped out Billy Joel’s “Movin’ Out,” infamous stuttering and all. Con Funk Shun’s “Ffun” came last, but certainly not least, to bring the year 1977 and our hell of a throwback of an evening to a close.
Energy: A+
Musicianship: A
Sound: A
Stage Presence: A-
Set/Light Show: B
Overall: A-
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