Tucson, AZ

Four out of five live music enthusiasts agree: when it comes to venue size, smaller is definitely better (the fifth person surveyed did not complete the poll - he was on tour with a Kiss tribute band). And when it comes to small, Club Congress is king. The club offers a laid-back, eclectic vibe where anything goes (got goth? feel free to rock it here), drinks specials abound, and your chances of getting up close and personal with the talent are high.

Recently, I caught wind that one of my favorite synth rock bands, Shiny Toy Guns, was making an appearance. I grabbed my camera and headed down to what turned out to be one of my favorite concerts ever. This is high praise coming from a woman who’s seen not only Vanilla Ice perform, but MC Hammer, too (complete with hydraulics-powered hammers onstage - you know you’re jealous).

So what made the show so fantastic? Let me count the ways.

1) The ambience. Congress staff had divided the room into 21-and-over and underage sections (read: partiers and pre-partiers). They achieved the split by means of a rather hilarious but totally effective set of fishing nets. Wristbands were issued for the grown-ups, as well. This meant that if you wanted to hang back and chillax with your Stoli & 7Up, free from the jostling of idol-struck teens (of which there were quite a few), you could do so in a jostle-free zone. Of course, being anxious to get some good snapshots, I wanted none of that, and elbowed my way stageward with the best of ‘em.

2) The talent. After high energy-openers Jonezetta and The Delta Fiasco played short sets, the group (including newcomer Sisely Treasure) came on about about 9:00. And they absolutely rocked. The vocals were pitch-perfect, the lights were brilliant, and the foursome didn’t hesitate to cut it up onstage: See for yourself:

Gregory Chad Petree and Sisely Treasure, gettin’ foggy wit it

Sisely Treasure jams

The biggest hits of the night were of course the hugely popular “Rainy Monday,” “Don’t Cry Out,” and “Le Disko” (I haven’t heard so many shrill tween shrieks since the Twilight movie trailer), but the group tapped into some as yet unreleased material, as well. And when the venue’s sub woofer blew out (twice!), band members laughed and joked with the crowd until the matter was fixed.

That crowd was mixed, mostly 18-30, with a healthy splash of younger teens. But being on the slightly older side (I’m 33) doesn’t make one feel out of place at Club Congress, thanks to the general funky downtown atmosphere.

3) The photo ops. If you’re a photography buff with a passion for concert shots, Club Congress is heaven. It’s a camera-friendly venue, one, and two, being such a small performance space, you can really “get in there” for some close ups. Not to mention, the lighting is fabu:

After the show, we walked down the street to our favorite 24-hour greasy spoon, Grill, for a butterscotch shake. The perfect ending to a really fun night.

Club Congress is located at 311 East Congress Street, underneath the historic Hotel Congress in downtown Tucson. Street parking is availabe but scarce on the weekends; your best bet is a $4 attended lot around the corner. Show prices range from $15-25. More info at www.hotelcongress.com.