What makes a good show a really, really good show? The answer will vary depending upon whom you ask. For some, it’s when a mind-boggling array of lights, smoke, lasers and confetti is packed onstage at a shopping-mall-sized rock arena, with the platinum-selling act of the week destroying the eardrums of the next few towns over. For others, it’s not quite on the same scale, but it involves a display of incredible musicianship that is unequaled in measure. Hardcore concertgoers may tell you that a great show involves any collection of bands, anywhere, no matter how small or unlit their stage might be, who spends every waking moment of the show in brisk and uninterrupted movement, careening with jackhammer-like intensity around each other, knocking instruments and cables to and fro, barely caring whether or not the notes are as precise as on their pristine studio recordings. The final category of a great show involves any of the above, plus an automatic guarantee of fun based on the artist playing, and the memorability and masterful pop craft of their always-catchy and witty performances. While perhaps without the overzealous cacophony and synesthesia of the first category, Thursday night’s show at the Independent managed to stuff all of the other aforementioned definitions into their 500-person club — along with a near sell-out crowd that was there to see Electric Six, the Detroit-based purveyors of the ultimate party rock freakshow.
