It’s not quite October which means it’s time to start thinking about the holidays. And no, I don’t mean Halloween.
The End announced the lineup for its annual holiday concert, Deck the Hall Ball, earlier this morning and it is one of the best Deck lineups in years. Headlining the marathon show, which will take place Dec. 3 at KeyArena, are ivy league rockers Vampire Weekend. They cap an extremely eclectic bill that features French electro rockers Phoenix, the highly underrated U.K. rock phenoms Arctic Monkeys (underrated in the U.S. anyway), local folkers Head and the Heart, Mercury Prize winners Alt J, Sub Pop noisemakers Foals, Australian psychedelic groove masters Tame Impala and the sweet 16-year-old kiwi pop star on the rise Lorde.
RELATED: Phoenix goes for broke with ‘Bankrupt’ at the Paramount
Deck the Hall Ball has become an increasingly important event for the End over the past few years. It is the station’s flagship concert and helps the station reinforce its status as a force in local music in an age where more and more people are moving away from the radio dial and towards streaming services and personalized playlists. Radio station festivals were once the highlights of summer with the End’s annual End Fest drawing big names in the ’90s but Block Party, Bumbershoot and Sasquatch! (which is happening twice next year) now dominate the summer festival season which leaves little room for the End. DTHB lets the station flex its corporate muscles by bringing in some of the biggest modern, or “alternative”, talent
The unfortunate part of the lineup, if there is one, is its repetitious nature, but that’s to be expected in the age of the festival circuit and is a minor quibble with what is otherwise a stupendous bill. Half of this year’s Deck class (VW, Arctic Monkeys, Tame Impala, Alt J) graced the stage at the Gorge earlier this year during Sasquatch! So if imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, Adam Zacks should be tickled pink by this year’s Sasquatch! West Deck the Hall Ball.
RELATED: Afterthoughts: 107.7 The End’s Deck the Hall Ball 2012
That’s not to say Deck the Hall Ball 2013 is a bad bill by any means, it’s quite the opposite and every single one of this year’s Deck artists are a great get for the End, but anyone who spent four days in the desert during Memorial Day Weekend at the Gorge might take a pass at picking up Deck the Hall Ball tickets. Of course not everyone who wanted to go to Sasquatch! was able to get tickets since the festival sold out in 90 minutes, so this lineup is a great bill for those who either couldn’t afford to attend Sasquatch! or didn’t want to make the 150-mile trek to the Gorge. Deck the Hall Ball 2013 is a stellar assemblage of talent and there should be little doubt that it will sell out rather quickly like it has in years past.
Tickets for 107.7 The End’s Deck the Hall Ball cost between $67.72 and $151.23 and go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. Prices include service charges and taxes. If you sign up for the End’s email list you will be able to get tickets on presale Thursday, otherwise you can purchase tickets here when they officially go on sale.
