Five years ago, the funk left Arizona, never to return- until this week, that is. Chromeo’s Funk Yourself tour experience landed at Marquee Theatre on Tuesday for a spellbinding night of infectious dance grooves and the most immaculate vibes.
House music DJs Coco and Breezy opened the night with a carefully curated mix to get the people moving early on. The charismatic twins spoke very little, instead letting the music do the talking with uplifting messages interspersed within the mix. At the end of their set, they brought two fans onstage- one of them being their youngest fan- to dance with them to close things down. The audience welcomed all of this with open arms, embodying the love and community of the tour.
Chromeo was summoned onstage with their iconic intro chant and emerged like disco aliens with their plethora of keyboards and various other chrome-covered instruments reflecting the light back into the crowd. Dave 1 and P-Thugg play off each other perfectly, with Dave 1 strutting his stuff on guitar and P-Thugg holding down the synths and melody on his wall of instruments. By the time we hit “Fancy Footwork” (song two for those wondering), the room was already all in on the night’s dance party.
The grooves were tight but the energy was effortless- Chromeo’s been perfecting this party for a long time and knows what buttons to press to move a room. “Juice” had the ideal balance of cheeky lyrics and hip-shaking beats while “Bad Decision” turned the volume up to 11. The duo prompted the audience to carry the chorus of “Night By Night” before a seamless transition into “Come Alive”.
Their synchronicity is so strong that the segues into songs were unnoticeable until we were already unconsciously singing along. Both members had huge smiles on their faces watching the theater sway with them, encouraging everyone to dance with abandon to “Momma’s Boy” and “Over Your Shoulder”.
Winding down a night like this wasn’t easy, but Chromeo made it as painless as possible, closing the set with “Jealous (I Ain’t With It)” before returning to the stage for a three-track encore that ensured everyone went home satisfied. Arizona is a little less shiny now with their departure but we’re looking forward to the day when Chromeo returns to bring the funk back to Phoenix.
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Story and photos by Olivia Khiel
