After a short excerpt from "Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny" was played on the large projection screen (remember the scene with the sasquatch?), The Physics took the stage and seduced a crowd of young, beard-wearing indie kids into moving in a way that nearly resembled dancing. DJ Just D'amato spun summertime beats, the two emcees kept the crowd hyped with a relaxed, conversational flow and just enough unpredictable rhythmic switchbacks to keep things interesting. Best tune of the set was "I Heart Beer", an ode to.....yeah, beer.

Junip took the stage with little fanfare and launched into "In Every Direction." The attendance for the show was surprisingly sparse but this worked to create a slightly more intimate atmosphere in the relatively large venue. Jose Gonzalez sang with stark and dynamic authority, the melodies comprised of short phrases that projected confidently and then trailed off at the end, mirroring the rhythm of conversation. Unlike his solo performances, Gonzalez' guitar playing is not the central focus of the music. Instead, Junip let the songs swirl forward on a calming, trance-like current which translated into a solid groove in a live setting. They were joined by an additional percussionist (congas and glass bottle!) and bass player to round out the sound. In concert, drummer Elias Araya is a surprisingly forceful element. Tobias Winterkorn let the moog drone and was especially effective when harmonizing and doubling the bass melodies from Gonzalez guitar. Ever the loyally ridgid Swedes, the versions of the songs were strict interpretations of their recorded counterparts. It might have been exciting to hear the group perform an unpredictable new arrangement of one of their tunes or to hear an unexpected cover, but overall the performance was solid and engaging.