Friday night, an army of tight-denimed, neon-clad hipsterkidz shed a collective tear at the end of Brooklyn vs Baltimore, the battle of the bands produced by Todd P and Wham City. Dan Deacon announced that he was shifting gears and would no longer be performing his usual participatory rock and roll mania. Dan will be attempting a new venture after an upcoming European tour – apparently, he is sick of getting squished. He said it best Friday night – it’s a lot more fun to have room to dance, than to bump up against sweaty strangers.

For the past 6 years, Dan has performed in front of the stage, amongst the crowd, instructing audiences to spin in place, count backwards from 35, or make the largest circle possible for dance-offs. While the catchy blip-rock is fun to bounce around to, the real magic is his camp counselor style energy which mandates folks to stop contemplating their irony, and to start having a good time.

Retiring his schtick seems necessary. It may seem fun and flashy to perform to thousands at Pitchfork, or have an evening at the Whitney Museum. But Dan Deacon is really in his element in a dirty-gritty intimate space, that only a post-industrial wasteland can offer.

I’m looking forward to seeing what he’s up to next. In the meantime, we can count on Leslie Hall to make sure we keep having a stupid good time. Remember that one time I made my ex-boyfriend dress up in the pink furry amoeba costume I made him for the Leslie and the Ly’s show? Ah, romance!