Beats Antique seemed psyched to be performing at the Calvin Theater Saturday evening – and that excitement was noticeable.

Feeding off the energy that the crowd supplied in massive volumes, the music of Beats Antique mixed with the fluid and seductive belly dancing of band member Zoe Jakes likely left some in the audience with a whole new appreciation for live performance.

Before Beats Antique arrived, innovative singer-song writer Lynx graced the stage with her soulful, down to earth voice that quickly had many in the crowd enraptured. As she crooned her powerful ballads, the crowd swayed calmly to the beat. Soon she had the crowd bouncing back and forth with her extremely talented beat boxing skills, bringing the energy of her performance to its peak. It felt as if she was playing prerecorded dubstep and not just creating those intoxicating sounds with her voice alone.

Lynx had the crowd going wild by the end of her act, seeming to leave many wanting more.

But after a brief pause, members of Beats Antique jumped on the stage and started playing some of their most popular songs, with hits such as “Egyptic,” “Revival” and “Dope Crunk” included in the set list.

The performance served as an example of what great performers the members of the band are. The music alone seemed to keep much of the crowd satisfied, even when Jakes was not on stage. David Satori and Tommy “Sidecar” Cappel were able to keep the energy flowing as they bent into their music and swayed with the heavy beats they were dropping. At one point they had a duel in the middle of the show, where they would go back and forth trying to outdo one another on their respective instruments.

Using an array of unique instruments, Beats Antique displayed a wide array of skill in their music. Each band member played an instrument at one point during the show, with Jakes taking her turn on a large bass drum at different intervals. What was surprising was when Satori got out an instrument that looked similar to a child’s toy. It was a baby-blue colored Melodica, an instrument that has a small keyboard on the top and a tube that allows players to blow into it like a harmonica.

Members of Beats Antique carried themselves at the show as if they were born performers. The band fed off the crowd’s excitement as the audience fell in love with them again and again. And Jakes went through 10 different outfit changes throughout the performance, each geared to a different song and performance.

Jakes’ outfits at the start were casual belly dance attire, with tribal looking, dark colored skirts and brassieres, all adorned with numerous beads, metals and chains. As the songs got heavier, more exotic and alluring, so did her outfits and stage presence.

One of Jakes’ outfits involved a giant headdress of antlers adorned with multiple crystals, which wowed some in the audience and had the crowd raving like mad. Another outfit was made of a white cloth that was attached to Jakes’ wrists, and it billowed up like a giant ghost when she lifted her hands and danced. Jakes also performed a dance with a mask that was eerily haunting and mesmerizing.

Jakes had the crowd laughing and smiling when she dressed up as a mermaid with a full, glittery teal mermaid tail. She then proceeded to “swim around” while balancing on a stool as Lynx was welcomed back to the stage to do a compilation with Beats Antique. As the song continued, Jakes began to strip off of her clothes until she was left in a one-piece, black bathing suit and a 1950s style light blue swimming cap with flowers on it. Lynx was left especially flustered when, at the end of her song, Jakes snatched her fedora off her head and, behind the hat, gave Lynx a big kiss on her cheek.
At the end of the show, the crowd repeatedly chanted the band’s name until the members came back on stage to perform and encore. During their last song, every band member put on animal and luchador masks, more commonly known as Mexican wrestling masks. Jakes wore a lion mask and later revealed she had another Zebra mask beneath it.

Beats Antique ended the show by playing Queen’s classic, “We Are the Champions.”

Vincenza Parella can be reached at [email protected].