Eggy Tells ‘The Ballad Of Blucifer’ On Halloween In Denver

Eggy celebrated Halloween last night with a sold-out show at Denver’s Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom, performing an all-new original set of music about The Ballad Of Blucifer in an ambitious themed night that not only landed well with the crowd but produced several songs that will undoubtedly become staples of the band’s shows in the future.

One really cool thing that Eggy has done with their Halloween shows is come up with a completely new theme every year – 2022’s Elton John and 2024’s “Waiting Game Show” board game ideas set the table for last night and established the band as a creative force, not willing to adhere to a “trend” like other bands. When this year’s theme was announced as being an all-new suite of music narratively about the iconic Blucifer horse statue at the Denver airport, I didn’t even bother speculating on what it might sound like, just putting my faith in the band and getting excited.

Chalk Dinosaur opened the night up with an hour of high-energy jamtronica grooves, mixing in samples from iconic tracks like “Ghostbusters” in honor of the holiday as they had the crowd rowdy and raring to go by the time Eggy took the stage.

Beginning with a concise “Sweaters For Strawmen,” the Eggy eased into the night in their cowboy outfits, moving right into efficient jamming in “Shatter” without further need for introduction.

Guitarist Jake Brownstein led the way with dive-bomb delays, painting effects-laden play over the foundation laid by the other three musicians as drummer Alex Bailey fluidly built to an immediate peak. Keyboardist Dani Battat went for cascading piano runs as bassist Mike Goodman dug in on envelope filter, the four musicians working together beautifully before an on-a-dime drop into spacey funk.

Some sparse Clavinet informed a pivot into the next section, Bailey smoothly utilizing his popcorn snare for punchy play as Brownstein continued to lay on thick layers of guitar. Keys and guitar took a dubby interplay break before the band transitioned nicely into the bouncy “Bobcat Flow.”

Without missing a beat, Eggy departed back into improvisational territory with an upbeat motif, retaining a loose sense of the earlier funk but this time propelled by Battat’s chorus-heavy electric piano. A nice conversational mode developed as Bailey pushed the pace, Brownstein going crazy with hammer-on work to build us to another smooth peak.

Wrapping up “Bobcat” from there, the band opted for “Waiting Game” next, giving a nice cooldown before Battat and Brownstein immediately began to musically joust on the short outro jam.

Catalog classic “Wayless” came in next and embarked in its characteristicly bouncy funk, Battat returning to electric piano as the band brought things way down into another interplay-heavy space. Bailey faded into cymbal washes to allow color from Brownstein to fully take over, coming back in with rhythmic kick drum thumps as Goodman made his presence known with heavy envelope filter. A psychedelic space developed here as Brownstein clicked on his Chase Bliss MOOD effects for background color, Battat’s swirling Moog accentuating this as the rhythm section continued their very active role.

Coming almost toward some vibes of “The Other One,” the band didn’t lean fully in there and retained an element of an uplifting major key thanks to Battat’s organ, though the jam largely remained in a humming rhythm-forward space. Hitting a powerful peak, Eggy descended from there into a brief foray into open space, resolving itself into the iconic opening guitar riff of “Barracuda.”

This standout jam of the night saw Bailey push into a driving groove from the outset, Goodman right there alongside him with active play as Brownstein uncorked “Trixieville”-adjacent licks. Departing into Type II territory, Battat’s organ set a foundation for Brownstein to begin spacing out, a stop/start motif developing as Bailey continued at a hot clip.

Hitting into a “First Tube”-like motif from the rhythm section, Brownstein and Battat capitalized on the momentum and rock-solid foundation to soar forth into a high-energy zone. After peaking, the band smoothly transitioned into a more open space without losing any momentum, Brownstein’s emphasis on rhythm work paving the way for Battat to take the lead on elastic Moog lines.

Returning to the conversational mode from earlier, Battat pivoted to electric piano and then organ as he and Brownstein began to build up the intensity once again. Blazing through a triumphant peak zone, Brownstein went into full lead mode, building apex after apex before transitioning into the ending of “Wayless” beautifully thanks to Bailey’s beautiful control over the tempo. The first set concluded there on an absolute high note, leaving the packed room excited for what was to come.

Set two consisted of 10 brand-new Eggy originals accompanied by Battat narration, telling The Ballad Of Blucifer – a serious triumph for them and a crazy undertaking for any band to perform a set of all unheard original music. The Denver crowd was receptive and engaged – the perfect audience for something like this.

“Peace Upon Us” kicked things off with lyrical synth leads from Battat, the band’s vocal harmonies on full display as they worked through the upbeat tune that contained a similar vibe to other original “Shallow Rivers.” Battat utilized his new Prophet Rev2 synthesizer for subtle textures in lieu of organ, a cool layer that would become a defining element of the set.

While there is definitely improvisational potential within “Peace Upon Us,” the band stuck close to form to deliver the narrative and moved next into “I Pray,” a gorgeous psychedelic excursion with heavy vibes of Pink Floyd’s “Dogs.” Battat’s narration led to a terrific vocal performance from Bailey alongside a warm lead from Brownstein’s guitar, making this song an immediate candidate for strong mid-second set vehicle.

Battat’s Rev2 excellence continued on “Breaking the Horse,” the melody on this one calling to mind The Rolling Stones’ “Torn and Frayed” at times before delving into a fantastic funk pocket. The color came into focus with “Silver Steed (My Blue),” a wry smile from Brownstein leading to some captivating play as his MOOD delay loops swirled among a dense synthscape.

Dropping into a cowbell-forward groove, Battat utilized a cool patch somewhere between a clav and electric piano, its envelope filter popping nicely in conversation with Brownstein’s insistent play. Goodman twined along with them before things spaced out a little bit, Bailey’s ever-fluid presence giving every transition an ultra-smooth quality.

The band built to a relatively tame peak from there, no one member taking the lead in the free-flowing improv before Brownstein broke forth into full blossom to reach a full apex, linking up with Battat’s Moog for a composed riff ending.

Battat caught us up on the story as “The Sip” kicked off, telling us about Blucifer’s upbringing in the town of Anthracite. As a warhorse for Waylon, the animal gained super strength from a magic fountain – the subject of the next song. Featuring more great vocal and musical harmonies, this bouncy track hit another wonderful peak in economical time before descending into the quiet opening of “Agatha.”

This ballad had a distinctly Western vibe, though it contained more of the lyrical composed riffs that are such a welcomed trend in the Blucifer material. This love letter to the romantic lead in the story acted as a fine cooldown in the set before things revved back up with “Rampage.”

Lighting designer Mike Jaws painted the room in red as Battat’s narration was put through some distortion, teeing up the heavy prog elements of this standout track. A distinct departure from Eggy’s usual sound, Battat’s insane Moog spun dizzying circles around the off-kilter time signature of the rest of the band. Brownstein sheared off blocks of wah chords over the crazed rhythm section, the improv resolving into a more typical (for them) peak with MOOD elements and soaring textures.

“Reflections” offered a look at the damage that had just been done with a laid-back vibe akin to the band’s “Come Up Slow,” ramping up into beautiful Battat piano, a layered synth underneath giving it a sparkling quality that contrasted nicely with Brownstein’s crunchy tone.

“Falsities and Fire” and “Voice of Them All” brought The Ballad Of Blucifer to a strong conclusion, with audible shouts of “I’m not leaving!” from the eager crowd chasing the band off stage as they took a breather before the encore.

Tearing the roof off the venue with “Shadow,” Eggy showed their gratitude to the Colorado crowd in the form of an absolutely volcanic final peak, having wrapped up a hugely successful Halloween set. With another show at Cervantes’ tonight, the quartet is poised to fall into the classic “blow off some steam” show – with no pressure of an impending gag or theme, things are primed for some serious jamming.

Watch night two of Eggy in Denver tonight, alongside an opening set from Sqwerv, exclusively with a nugs All Access subscription.

Setlist (via The Carton)

Set One: Sweaters for Strawmen, Shatter[1]-> Bobcat Flow, Waiting Game, Wayless, Barracuda[2]-> Wayless

Set Two: Peace Upon Us[3], I Pray[3], Breaking the Horse[3], Silver Steed (My Blue)[3], The Sip[3], Agatha[3], Rampage[3], Reflections[3], Falsities and Fire[3], Voice of Them All[3]

Encore: Shadow

Notes:

• [1] Unfinished
• [2] Heart cover
• [3] Debut
• Set 2 featured 10 debuts, with narration by Dani, telling the Ballad of Blucifer.

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