Thanks to the release of All
Day as a free online download earlier this year, it would be a safe bet to
say every Madison Girl Talk fan, rich or poor, had a great soundtrack to listen
to in preparation for his show March 7. I know for me — a broke college
student, especially after dropping $40 for a concert ticket — the album
definitely heightened my excitement in the few hours before heading over to the
Alliant Energy Center. (Not to make this all about the album, but much thanks
for that, Gregg. Since Radiohead decided, to some disappointment, to retract
from the free-download mode of distribution with its latest, your release has
somehow appreciated in coolness).

A bus ride later, I was jamming toMax Tundra and Junk Culture. Upon entry to
the building I was glad to see the tight wristband limitations seen at
Deaudmau5 last semester (restrictions determined by arrival time of who could
gain access to the mosh pit) had been rescinded for this event. The wristbands
had seemed to create a weird hierarchical divide between attendees for the
Deadmau5 experience, not to mention putting a strain on event security when
many frenzied fans attempted to jump down to the lower level, and I was glad to
see them go. The increase of people on the floor for Girl Talk didn’t come
close to filling the vast recesses of the Alliant’s main room, and it seemed
like an overall safe environment from my inexpert view.

As others have observed, the atmosphere did hint at the feel
of a high-school dance due to the empty spaces, that not even a Gregg
Gillis-sized crowd could fill, within the Alliant Energy Center. However, I
heard many positive remarks about the location change, as the Orpheum is not an
ideal venue for large, energetic shows the likes of Girl Talk. Soon we were all
thrown into a mashup-induced craze the moment Gillis stepped onstage. A
fortunate selection joined him onstage before numbers were understandably
regulated.

The thing about a Girl Talk concert — which I could never
understand beforehand, never having seen him or any mashup artist perform live —
is that he puts as much of himself into the performance as any singer or
instrumentalist. The electronics up there with him are merely his musical tools,
and the song clips become just as much his art as the rappers and classic
rockers who composed them — just as a collage versus an original painting.

Fast forward past constant shoving, shuffling, jumping and screaming
to the end of the show. I don’t think I dared to let go of my friends’ hands
the whole time. Except maybe at particularly climatic moments in a few of my
favorite tracks; times when it was just the music, the lights, and me having
the time of my life. Gillis signed off to an explosive burst of confetti, the
room resounding with the echo of his final track. Going in, I had heard
polarized reviews from people who had seen Girl Talk live. But even for late on
a Monday night, my experience landed on the high end of
the spectrum.