Somasphere and Big Gigantic Friday December 4th at the Jackpot: awesome choice of music, terrible choice of venue

For the preceding week I was checking with every friend I spoke with in Lawrence to see if they were aware of the great up-coming concert. Big Gigantic, the band that opened for one of my all-time favorite bands, Sound Tribe Sector 9, were playing, with Somasphere - a name I recognize, with good reason - playing before them.
The event was scheduled for the Jackpot, at 10 p.m. I remember upon first hearing about the venue, 'Hmmm, that's a pretty small bar, with a flat, long, narrow dance area, and few seats.' But I didn't dwell on it. The night of the show I arrived around 11, significantly later than I meant to, but was pleased to see that the door-men were so distracted that nobody stopped me from walking straight in. Although it meant I couldn't join my friends when they went outside for a cigarette, it was worth escaping the $10 or $11 cover.
As soon as I was in I saw a gang of my friends in one of the few booths in the Jackpot, thankfully they were able to help me buy a drink (another small inconvenience of getting into a show the cheap way was I could not buy my own drink). The bar had a solid two layers of people compressed over it, making getting drinks hard, and making it awkward to move along the narrow space - virtually an aisle - between the bar and the booths on the opposite wall.
The entire open area between the far end of the bar and the stage was cleared of tables and chairs to give more dance space, but sure enough, it wasn't enough to stand comfortably in.
People were packed, shoulder to shoulder, in the open square space, with some who might be considered lucky or trapped, leaning back against the surrounding walls.
Drinks were spilled, and people were grumpily fighting their neighbors for space, but we were there for the show, and it was worth it.

Somasphere was already deep into their set, but I still caught several songs that impressed. The heavy beats, electric harmonies of sounds, and funky melodies made it impossible to stand still.
But unfortunately I didn't get to hear enough, before long they were done, and the intermission tidal wave/kicked beehive of people going to the bathroom, out to smoke, to get a drink, or find people, erupted in the tiny bar.

Tired from a busy day, I actually sat for the beginning of Big Gigantic, but it didn't take long for their thumping bass, and the brilliant sexiness of their more famous songs to pull me into the crowd. I liked their songs that I'm fairly sure I heard them play before STS9; High Life, Wide Awake and Light of Day. But I heard lots of other good stuff too!
I mean, come ON, it's an electric, dance band, with a SAXOPHONE! How cool is that? You might not be able to imagine the combination of that genre and that instrument. I know I had never thought of it before seeing them. But they have it down. It's really a hot, clever combination. You have to hear it to see. Their Myspace page does them only some justice, trust me, a live show is worth their price. I just got lucky.

In conclusion, the Jackpot was WAY too small for this show, the crowd was there, the music was great, it was just too small. Also, everyone I saw that night told me the next day their ears were still ringing. And so were mine.
But the music was amazing, and I had a lot of fun, I will definitely be watching for the next time either Somasphere or Big Gigantic are playing around here.