VAST Invades Hershey • December 7, 2000

VAST Invades Hershey
by Brian Phillips

Having only two days to prepare for a show is a reviewer’s nightmare. There is just not enough time to do the required legwork. That fact is compounded when your knowledge of a band is limited to a few hit singles. There is no time to read. There is no time to listen to music. There is definitely no time to carefully analyze each song on every CD. Unfortunately, this was the case when I decided to write about Vast and their December 2 show at Shakey’s in Hershey. I knew plenty about Shakey’s, but nothing about Vast

Feeling like I was preparing for a final exam, I crammed, borrowed some CDs, and searched the web. And by the time I walked into Shakey’s, I had the basics. I knew the name of Jon Crosby, whose self-styled writing and guitar talents define Vast. But I also knew the names of Thomas Froggatt (Bass), Steve Clark (Drums), and Justin Cotta (lead guitar). I carefully picked out a handful of songs that I figured I would listen for, and with those songs in mind, I figured I could shape something resembling an educated opinion of the band and how they played.

So I was prepared, I guess. As DJs Nipsey and Nixon, from 105.7 the X, introduced the band, I kept thinking, ‘OK, here we go. Remember the songs, stick with your plan.’ But by the time the first sounds echoed through the room, and everyone started screaming, I knew I wasn’t ready and decided to chuck the whole plan.

I made the right choice. Though it was a good plan, it turns out the whole thing was just a big waste of time. The experience of Vast is one that needed no intro or no preparation.

The band was energetic and fresh, creating a show that even the unknowing, like myself, could enjoy. Froggatt’s bass and Clarke’s drums were the anchor for the evening, each performer excelled when they needed to, but never for a minute distracted from the focus of the show. Cotta, whose Australian accent and youth carried him all over the stage, was a treat. His lead guitar licks and supporting vocals worked nicely, but the true triumph of his performance was his presence. He wondered around the stage, carrying on and taking off first his jacket and then his t-shirt. Once again he supported, but never took away from the true star of the show: Jon Crosby.

The young leader of the band, now 23, whose guitar skills landed him a rave review in Guitar Player magazine at the ripe old age of 13, put on a show that both entranced and invigorated. Though his lyrics seem obsessed with the larger and darker issues of life, like God, Death, and Love — sometimes all in the same song — his energetic style and the musical diversity seemed to support all the angst and most certainly the attitude. He screamed and he whispered. He took the audience from the pinnacle to the abyss and back again, and the audience let him. There seemed to be no uninterested faces — with the exception of the drunk guy standing beside me who kept saying, "Who is this?" believing that he was funny. The crowd loved it, dancing and singing.

The show built slowly, slowly sucking me in. And by the time the band got to "Touched," less than 30 minutes into the show, I was hooked. Though I had heard the song tens, maybe hundreds of times, I felt like I was hearing it for the first time. More than that, it appeared as if Crosby was singing it for the first time. That says a lot. Perhaps Crosby is just a incredibly talented performer or maybe he just has a great stage presence. Either way, all I can say is that I bought it, and so did the rest of the crowd.

The show continued and the energy never left. The tempo and the feel of each song was different, including two songs featuring chanting monks. Each song leading up to the climax of the show, "Free," the current hit off the group’s sophomore album, Music for the People. The crowd sang along, "You can’t tell me what to do anymore. Now I’m free. Now I’m free." And I believe that we were. Or at least I was. I was free to let go of what I was trying to construct in my mind and free to truly be a part of the show. The crowd roared, and the band came back to do three encores, but, to me, it ended with "Free." Though they came back to sing "Three Doors," one of the songs from Visual Auditory Sensory Theatre, the band’s debut release, it was anticlimactic. It was just the sorbet after dinner. The main course was over, and rather than cleansing my palette, all that I wanted to do was savor the taste.

I spent the rest of the night replaying the concert, and sharing my praise with those who came in after the band’s hour-and-a-half performance. And though I was unable to talk indepth with Crosby, all of my research did pay off for something. It gave me the answer to the question that filled my mind all night: What is Vast?

I found this. According to Jon Crosby, "Vast is not an adjective about the music or myself. It is an adjective for life through my eyes."

And I must say that it sure was fun hearing the world through someone else’s eyes, especially Jon Crosby’s.