Patton’s band storms Vogue

Peeping Tom
The Vogue
Sunday, Aug. 6

After a hectic, ear-shattering, totally satisfying performance by Peeping Tom, my friend Denitra and I stood behind the Vogue, trading stories with Rahzel about our mutual Southern roots and our near-reverent love of Kool-Aid. Mike Patton chatted us up like he was a friend we hadn’t seen in a few years, and gave us plenty of warm, spontaneous hugs. A tired but gorgeous Imani Coppola sat on the curb of the backstage ramp, singing “The Pina Colada Song” into her cell phone, while members of Dub Trio tossed a Frisbee in the parking lot. Rahzel shuttled back and forth from the club’s rear entrance and back to us, offering 7-Ups, a towel to wipe away the sweat I’d danced off during the show and chips and salsa in a paper cup. “Y’all need a back rub? Manicure? Pedicure?” he asked, with a deep and childish giggle. It was one of those impossible and blissfully random moments that every music nerd dreams of.

And the show was even better.

Mike Patton and his crew whipped the crowd Sunday night with an intense, giddy set, largely comprised of songs from Peeping Tom’s self-titled debut. After reggae/dub group Dub Trio warmed up the audience, Peeping Tom opened their show with Marvin Gaye’s “It’s A Desperate Situation.” The song served as an introduction and a warning: this would be no typical rock concert. Not even close.

With human beatbox Rahzel, vocalist/violinist Imani Coppola, the astonishing DJ Mike Relm on the turntables, Dub Trio as the rhythm section and a guy on keyboards — wearing a ski mask and red gym shorts, and referred to only as “Spidey” — the seemingly odds-and-ends lineup proved to be the perfect group to bring Patton’s trippy studio album to life on stage. Solo showstoppers by Rahzel and Relm included Rahzel’s take on “Iron Man” and Relm’s witty remixes of the themes from Charlie Brown and Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure.

When combined, the group — with a sly and cheerful Patton as its leader — moved through sinewy grooves and sharp metal edges with precision. Throughout the set, it was clear that everyone in the joint was having a ball, but it seemed no one was having more fun than Mike Patton himself.

Between songs, Patton teased the crowd with jokes about our fair city:  He thanked Indianapolis for welcoming him during the weekend of the “Redneck 400.” He also made sure the audience felt as important to the show as the musicians, commanding us to meow and bark, flip the bird in time with the music and laugh our spookiest laughs into his microphone.

After the show, the band spent time shaking hands and signing autographs. Patton patiently took scores of pictures and chatted with fans, and never once seemed irritated. In fact, by the time things wound down and Denitra and I were just two of six or seven other fans hanging out behind the Vogue, he was still awake and energetic. Just as they did on stage, each member of the group did their own thing, using such peculiar differences to create an altogether unique and fascinating scene. From an explosive start to a subdued but charming finish, Peeping Tom put on one hell of a show.

Rahzel’s excellent service was a bonus.