This past Sunday marked the fourth time The Airborne Toxic Event made their way to Columbus to give the city lessons on how to be happy about being sad – while looking like they just strolled out of an AllSaints catalog. Just as their name suggests, when playing live, The Airborne Toxic Event is truly that: an event.
With the advantage of steady airplay on CD101 and an image that is both accessible yet indie enough to be featured in movies and trendy TV shows, the band exponentially increased their audience with a satisfying show. Melancholy is no doubt Airborne’s bread and butter, but it’s how lead singer Mikel Jollett paints his heartache with long brushstrokes of lush arrangements and witty, sincere lyrics that put their music in the “take seriously” category. In concert, TATE sing their songs of commiseration while dancing around and seeming excited to be playing, which makes an odd juxtaposition.
Still, it’s refreshing to watch a band not feel emotionally locked into the music they play. Rather than be as morose as their music, The Airborne Toxic Event danced and clambered around the stage, climbed on 15-foot speakers to sing like a soliloquy from Shakespeare, and genuinely looked to be having a great time. In return, everyone in attendance did, too.
By opening with “Numb,” the tone was set early that this was going to be a show for the fans. “Some Time Around Midnight,” “All For A Woman,” and “Happiness is Overrated” were played with passion and intensity. The show reached an apex when The Airborne Toxic Event covered Magnetic Fields’ “Book of Love” in homage to undying material bliss – or maybe the lack thereof.
The Airborne Toxic Event is one of those rare bands that transcend their music. While the band members thrive in despondence, they are able to not take the joys in life for granted. As a result, their show was more joy melancholy.
This review was written by Josh Fitzwater and brought to you by the Franklin University Plaza at the LC Pavilion. For more information about shows that Josh and the Franklin crew will be attending and for chances to win tickets to concerts all year long, visit us on Facebook. Photography was provided by Matt Ellis at Three-Songs Photography.
