LIVE REVIEW: Jukebox the Ghost in Portland, ME (10.09.25)
“Down, down, down into the rabbit hole.. Phantasmagorical.” On the eve of their 7th album release, Jukebox the Ghost took the stage at AURA in Portland, Maine for the first night of their The Phantasmagorical Tour to give the crowd a taste of the new album mixed with plenty of old favorites spanning their 21 year career.
Taking the stage in matching brown suits, white shirts, and maroon ties to a comical radio bulletin introducing them to “*insert city here*” they took to their instruments and started on commanding new track, “Stranger.” No strangers to Portland, they return to Maine and New England fairly often and bring their dedicated fanbase along for the journey. Now that they have seven albums, building setlists can be a feat, especially since Phantasmagorical Vol. 1 has a whopping 30 tracks. But they manage to balance the cult classics with the shiny and new in a musical odyssey to intrigue every level of fan. One such older song, “The Stars” followed emitting cheers and claps from the crowd, and starting the sing along early.
“Everything is happening. It’s the first night of the tour, the album is out at midnight, and it’s the first time playing new songs,” lead singer, pianist Ben Thornewill exclaimed. “And we’ve just been released from Phantasmagoria. They made us write a 30 song album,” lead singer, guitarist Tommy Siegel added.
Showing off the new tunes, they played a triple-threat of “Sea Change,” “Flash!” and “Emotional Fraud.” The first being a soft and sweet story of times and emotions changing like waves of the sea, the second a traditional Tommy upbeat “end of the world” song, and the last an ironic statement about social media and the more attention influencers get when they post sad things starting with chords, “Stolen from Beethoven,” and climaxing with a rocking keytar moment.
Breaking out the mandolin, the cheery “Colorful” had the room bopping around and singing loud before exploding into another keytar solo. “I’ve stood up two songs in a row, this is a big fucking deal!” Thornewill said encouraging the crowd to sing back the riff in a call and response.
Keeping the energy high, the infectious “Everybody’s Lonely” continued the singing and swaying and featured a hooking solo on a hot pink guitar. 2008’s quirky “Under My Skin” had everyone pantomiming the comically morbid lyrics over twinkling keys.
A sudden break in music, the recorded morning show from “[radio phantasmagoria]” rang over the speakers “interviewing” the band, asking “How did you get your band name,” an inside joke about the late aughts naming trend of “Blank the Blank” bands. The name origin getting cut off by a, “Boring!” the rolling ballad and next in line on the album “Only Way Out” proved new songs can make fast learners with simple, heartfelt choruses.
“It’s the spooky, scary month” Siegel quipped before his doomy, but organized, “Everybody Panic,” a number that’s a little heavier and bassier than their usual chipperness. Bringing things back up with the whimsical “Hold It In,” Thornewill messed up the second verse, stopping things with laughter and an uncertain look on his face before counting the band back in for a redo and extra help from the crowd on the claps and chorus. Kinks happen on the first night of tour, but the guys are professionals, if not a little bit goofy, and know how to joke on themselves. “And why are we dressed like Mr. Bean?” Siegel continued in the merriment.
The rhythmic “Ramona” held a steady groove and drew attention to their harmonies on the cascading chorus. The lovestruck “Girl” tugged at heartstrings and highlighted more harmonies while everyone shuffled and swayed. The piano solo set up the perfect flow into the theatrical, Queen-esque “Jumpstarted.” The crescendoing layers and melodies invited audience call backs while keytar and guitar solos blared out amongst cheers.
In the classic film stars segment of the set, the band had everyone dancing like “Fred Astaire,” jumping around and clapping. In an effort to give the drummer some, Jesse Kristin stepped down from behind the kit to sing the intro to “Hollywood” while stroking the keytar on top of the piano like a court jester. Cutesy and catchy, they jammed out on the faster parts, maintaining the dancefloor beats below.
“This probably should’ve been the last song on the new record, but it’s the second because we’re a dumb band,” said Thornewill before chiming out new song “End of the Show.” Playing into their cinematic fantasy world, there was a dramatic stop in the music and a voice from the sky heckling them that the audience doesn’t have time for antics because, “These people want to go to bed.” Hammering out the last few chords, they left the stage on the perfect main set closer.
Quickly coming back on for the encore, the band wanted to do something different and highlight their “amazing songwriter” drummer, Kristin by playing new track “Olivia.” Adding to the roster of girl name songs, it’s the first time Kristin recorded a song he primarily sings on a Jukebox the Ghost album. After cheers of recognition and encouragement, Kristin joked, “Olivia is not my wife’s name.”
The flirtatious and deliciously poppy “Stay the Night” cooed with its charming and hopeful chorus to give one last burst of energy before ending on one of their oldest and fondest singles, “Victoria.” The die-hards sang along to every word while Thornewill noodled around on the keys before everyone ended it on a single unison clap.
“This is record seven and each time feels crazier and crazier that we get to keep doing this,” Thornewill ended, humbled and appreciative for another album and another tour. And it’s no surprise that people keep coming back for their fun, witty, sarcastic, feel-good brand of pop rock. They’re technically good musicians who don’t take themselves too seriously and know how to goof around while making catchy music, and that is a testament to their two decade career that keeps listeners reveling.
Notable Opener: Boys Go to Jupiter warmed things up with their melodies and dance moves. The quirky six-piece felt like the theatre kids started a band, in a good way, with their musical-like numbers, storytelling, and choreographed moves. They provided an infectious energy and were a good fit as openers, getting everyone to loosen up and put on their dancing shoes.
