The last time I caught a Ron Gallo show was mid-pandemic, on the internet via NPR’s World Cafe. In that setting, his lyrical commentary about the negative side of contemporary tech-fueled life felt more impactful than usual. On Saturday, I watched Gallo and his band perform in real life — almost surreal considering this was only my second in-person show since being vaccinated. It was Gallo’s second show of the afternoon; the two were his first as a visiting artist in a long while, as he recently ended a five-year run living in Nashville by moving back home to Philadelphia. Though the audience in the parking lot of The Basement was sparse and spaced out in pods, what transpired was a clear collaboration between the crowd and the band to create a meaningful experience despite the restrictions in place.
Chiara D’Anzieri — Gallo’s collaborator, bandmate and wife, who also records and performs as Chickpee — opened the show with a brief set of bright, groovy indie-pop tunes. Some of those songs are slated for Imported, her first solo album of songs in English, set to be released later this year. The band, which included drummer Dom Billett and guitarist Jerry Bernhardt, rearranged themselves after a short break for Gallo’s set.
They began with a few tunes from Gallo’s most recent LP Peacemeal, including “Hide (Myself Behind You)” and “Please Don’t Die.” Gallo sang both songs with a tremulous intensity that reflected the dual nature of the lyrics: Vulnerability is in the foreground, but it can still take effort to be so open. Vocal effects, synth tracks and bubbly harmonies reflected the sonic move he’d made from his grittier rock roots into electronic pop territory on the new record, made during the pandemic.
Gallo’s wise-guy persona came through in both his witty stage banter and a sample of a voicemail that he played multiple times during the set without providing context. The next few songs reminded me that his sardonic and humanistic social commentary backs it up. In his lyrical observations of himself and others, as noted by photographer Lance Conzett when we compared notes after the show, Gallo makes his sets feel like an inside joke the audience isn’t in on — yet he also manages to make that part of the appeal. Whether he’s laughing with you or at you, he’s making an interesting point you want to keep considering.
The band became more comfortable onstage as the night went on. The Peacemeal song “Saturday Pt. 1” wrapped up the first half of the show, and then the group dug out an old favorite: “Young Lady, You’re Scaring Me” from Gallo’s breakthrough 2017 record Heavy Meta. In an instant I was transported to pre-pandemic times. The band slid into an extended jam between verses, guitar lines criss-crossing and surging life into the seated audience like a spiritual defibrillator.
The ebb-and-flow groove of “Temporary Slave” morphed to an electronic beat behind the warbling guitar and psychedelic flourishes of “A Plate in My Honor.” During this part of the set, a Hawaiian-shirted fellow in the crowd, seemingly bursting with pent-up energy from the past year of isolation, danced all alone in front of the band, adding to the hilarity of the experience.
After asking for requests — though the band admitted they hadn’t practiced most of the songs people wanted — Gallo & Co. drew the evening to a close. First there was “Can We Still Be Friends?,” a song about trying to forge bonds that extend beyond the music business. Then came the new, chilled-out version of the Gallo staple “All the Punks Are Domesticated.” It might be even more effective in this incarnation. The lyrics are a prime example of his sometimes-sarcastic observational wisdom, which he turns into piercing introspection. As we move uneasily through the late stages of this pandemic, these are both things that are worth keeping in mind, and the perfect note for the show to end on.
