There were a ton of options in Philly on Friday, October 17th for music fans but none had the same buzz as the sold-out Kygo and Thomas Jack show at Union Transfer. The line to get inside stretched far down the block when we arrived shortly after 11pm (it was a late night show that didn’t begin until 11pm).
Once inside, Thomas Jack was already on the decks, pumping out one of the best sets we’ve heard in a while. In the era of EDM, where a lot of the music being played at events seems to follow a cookie cutter pattern, Thomas Jack’s eclectic track selection was a breath of fresh air. While so many DJs these days are about massive stage production, Thomas Jack’s set up was minimal: DJ equipment on a table and one circular projection screen behind him.
Playing remixes of everything, from tracks by ‘Of Monsters and Men’ to ‘LeRoux’, to ‘Men at Work’, mixed in with some more standard house & electroc songs, Thomas Jack received well deserved cheers and had the crowd buzzing (and dancing along). This young Aussie definitely knows how to work a room and stand out from the pack. We definitely look forward to seeing him again in the future.
Kygo took the stage around 12:30am to a very dimly lit stage set up. Basked in dark blue or green light for the majority of his set (with the same circular projection screen behind him), the Norwegian DJ started his set off slowly, which at first, felt like a step down from Thomas Jack. Once we had a few minutes to adjust to his down-tempo style however, we were definitely digging it.
Kygo is best known for his remixes. It seems like the guy simply hasn’t met a song he doesn’t want to chop up and tweak. His catalog of remixes is a virtual whose who of musicians that includes names like ‘Coldplay’, ‘Dolly Parton’, ‘Rihanna’, ‘Ed Sheeran’, and ‘James Blake’.
This recipe for success (his current tour sold out shows in every city but Las Vegas) is also chock full of the perfect ingredients for a more sophisticated set than you’ll hear in the majority of EDM venues across the city. It was a real treat and we’re thrilled that we chose to spend our Friday evening with Kygo and Thomas Jack.
[Photo credit: D. Jacob Miller Photography]
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