Matt and Kim
April 27, 2015
Marquee Theatre- Tempe, AZ
Matt and Kim, an indie dance duo from Brooklyn, New York, rocked the Marquee Theatre in Tempe Arizona this past Monday accompanied by opening band Waters. Upon arrival, the Marquee was buzzing with excitement for the headliners. Although Matt and Kim were the main act, opening band Waters drew a large crowd from the very start of their set. Waters, a rock band hailing from San Francisco California, provided the crowd with an array of their high-energy songs and enthusiastic dance moves. All members of the band were extremely energetic and could be seen jumping around all corners of the stage. Waters gained the audience’s affection by using crowd participation as well as covering the currently popular Blank Space by Taylor Swift, to which the crowd banned together and sang in harmony. After a heart-pumping good time with Waters, fans gathered even closer to the stage anxiously awaiting the arrival of Matt and Kim.
The stage set up was elevated so that all locations in the venue provided adequate viewing of the duo. Matt and Kim arrived on stage in a fury getting the crowd ramped up for their set, accompanied by applause and loud screams. Kim Schifino (drummer) hopped on her drums throughout the set to get the crowd pumped and to show off her impressive dance moves. Matt Johnson (vocals/keyboard) also exuded high energy throughout. The couple played crowd favorites Daylight and Let’s Go as well as singles from their recently released album New Glow including: Hey Now, and Get It. Matt and Kim also graced the audience with the first song they wrote Silver Tiles and Matt even treated the audience to his guitar playing skills which is rare to catch live. The couple also covered R. Kelley’s Remix to Ignition which is always a crowd pleaser.
Intertwined into their ridiculously fun set were positive messages about being yourself and regular conversation with the audience. The duo regularly requested crowd participation ranging from traditional hand clapping to crowd surfing, getting on a neighbor’s shoulders, and even a giant 50-foot parachute, which was placed over fans during a few songs. The crowd was enlisted to blow up balloons and instructed to release them simultaneously in addition to being coated with confetti at various points during the set. Although Matt and Kim have attempted to extinguish Kim’s dancing on the audience routine, which she has frequently done in the past, the routine emerged again back by popular demand. Ultimately, the duo delivered a fun and sweaty good time for all attendees packed with constant dancing and fans screaming their catchy lyrics. Concertgoers could be seen huddled outside in groups after the show catching a cool breeze and proclaiming how amazing of an experience the show had been.
Review by: Meghan Lee
