While Daniel Lanois and Black Dub played The Bowery Ballroom last night, they were filmed by a cameraman roving around the stage with the images projected onto a giant screen behind them. The black-and-white video gave the effect of watching a documentary film about the concert while it was actually going on—a shaky-cam, true-to-life rendering in real time. It had a nice enhancing effect on the music, a jagged, emotional set of Lanois’ unique dreamlike pop.

The first group of songs was dominated by Trixie Whitley’s vocals. If ever lyrics were belted out, these were. Whitley proved to be more than just a pretty face and a powerful voice as she moved throughout the night from a second drum kit to rhythm guitar and to keys, meshing quite well with Lanois. The real power behind the band came from the rhythm section, particularly Brian Blade on drums, who was the ever-churning, rumbling fuel to the fire. His energy, intensity and insanely proficient chops set the tone for each song. Occasionally the camera would get behind Blade and give a first-person view of what it’s like to make a drum kit bend to your will—a true moment of cinema verité.

Lanois led his band expertly, following the initial Whitley-lead section with an absolutely gorgeous pedal-steel instrumental duet with Blade. It wouldn’t be a Daniel Lanois show without some superlative, haunting pedal steel and he delivered here: The music filled The Bowery, sounding like it was coming from behind and above, like some heavenly music. For the rest of the time, Lanois played straight-up guitar, and the highlights came toward the end of the set with wonderfully drawn out, heavy versions of “The Maker” and “Ring the Alarm.” —A. Stein

Photos courtesy of Greg Notch | photography.notch.org/music

Want to go but don’t have tickets? Then try to win two from The House List. Just fill out the form below, listing your name, e-mail address, which show you’re to win tickets to (Editors, 2/19) and a brief message explaining which Winter Olympic sport is your favorite and why. Eddie Bruiser, who does not care for figure skating, will notify the winner tomorrow. Good luck.

Dan Black is a multitalented electronica musician at the forefront of Wonky Pop. He sang and played guitar with the Servant until they disbanded in 2007, and he’s also sung with the Italian electronic-dance group Planet Funk. But he began to gain more attention a couple of years ago when he moved into solo work. He first found success with “HYPNTZ”—mixing lyrics from Biggie Smalls’ “Hypnotize” over a sample of Rihanna’s “Umbrella”—and then later with the singles “Alone” and “Yours.” And just two days ago, Black’s debut album, UN, finally came out in the U.S. Which, of course, brings us to the point: Dan Black (above, playing “Symphonies” on the French show Le Grand Journal) plays Mercury Lounge tomorrow night. You should be there.

Toward the beginning of the second set of Trey Anastasio’s marathon show at Terminal 5 last night, someone tossed the Phish guitarist a Brian Leetch USA hockey jersey, which he displayed on his amp the rest of the night and then wore during the encore. It was appropriate because Anastasio was playing like an Olympian. From the get-go, it was pure joy, as the mind-probing lights seemed to be induced purely by his smile and energy. Hopping around the stage like a moguls skier, he eased his band into the evening with strong versions of “Push On ’Til the Day,” “Mozambique” and “Gotta Jibboo.”

The Classic TAB, with a horn section and a bass-drums-keys rhythm section backing Anastasio, acted more like a jazz ensemble than a jam band. While it would have been easy for everything to devolve into filler between axe solos, Anastasio has fleshed out this side project with its own fully functioning repertoire. This got mixed up a bit at the end of the first set with an extended solo acoustic sing-along featuring the typically rocking Phish songs “Sample in a Jar,” “Chalkdust Torture” and “Wilson” that was pure joy for musician and audience alike. The second set featured counterintuitively horn-heavy covers of classic-rock staples “Black Dog” (mightily sung by Jennifer the trumpet player) and “Sultans of Swing.”

Still the highlights of the night were when the band relaxed into a groove and Anastasio just shredded. The band reduced to a quartet on songs like “Jibboo” and “Sand”—the bass and drums transforming into gates in a slalom downhill, and Anastasio barreling downhill, gaining momentum and dangerous speeds, with just fractions of a second the difference between gold and crashing and burning. And at the critical moment, the horns would return for a tremendous climax, and there was no question about who would be taking the podium. —A. Stein

Photos courtesy of Gregg Greenwood | gregggreenwood.com

Mumford & Sons play The Bowery Ballroom on Thursday. Great, right? Unfortunately, the show is sold out. But if you really want to see these English folk rockers, you’ve still got a chance because The House List is giving away two tickets. Want to Grow a Pair? Then just fill out the form below, listing your name, e-mail address, which show you’re trying to win tickets for (Mumford & Sons, 2/18) and a brief message explaining your best bet to get past the February blahs. Eddie Bruiser, a bigger fan of spring than winter, will notify the winner by noon on Thursday. Good luck.

It’s an exciting experience to see a new band live. Will the group sound like the music on their record? How will they present their material? Does their appearance match their sound? While these questions—and others—color the perception of a concert, they are ultimately just subtext to the performance. The visceral feeling from the first chord, note, or sound leaves an indelible impression. At Phantogram’s sold-out show at Mercury Lounge on Friday, it was the initial beat of “As Far as I Can See” that silenced doubt and stuck in the crowd’s collective conscience.

Phantogram is the moniker for guitarist Josh Carter and keyboardist Sarah Barthel’s band. Hailing from Saratoga Springs, N.Y., the duo recently released their debut album, Eyelid Movies. In one sense, their sound feels familiar, evoking comparisons to such contemporaries as Beach House and Portishead. But, as their album demonstrates, they also have a unique depth and variety to their music, which sets them apart. On tracks like “When I’m Small,” elements of hip-hop and electronic rock fuse together with Barthel’s soft, beautiful vocals for spectacular results.

Once Carter and Barthel took the stage, following Junk Culture’s set, the crowd swelled in size. How droves of people heard about this rising band is unknown, but judging from the attendance, word is spreading rapidly. In addition to their setup of guitar, keyboard and samplers, Phantogram provided a foot-pedal-activated strobe light and an artistic visual display projected onto a sheet. The accompaniment made for a tremendously dynamic and engaging show. During “All Dried Up,” night shots of a barren highway complemented the dark, serene tune. And so in both sound and appearance, Phantogram exceeded expectations. —Jared Levy

Photos courtesy of Diana Wong | dianawongphoto.blogspot.com

Mac Rebennack was born in New Orleans in 1940. His musical career, as a guitarist, took off in the late ’50s. But following an accident, he had to drop the guitar, so he focused on playing the bass and then, with Professor Longhair as an important influence, turned to the piano. Several years later, in the early ’60s, Mac Rebennack moved from LA to L.A. and somewhere along the way, with time and the help of his winning combination of blues, jazz, pop, boogie-woogie and Zydeco, the singer-songwriter was reborn as Dr. John. His live shows, known for R&B, psychedelic rock and a little a bit of voodoo hoodoo, earned him a cult following—and the attention of Eric Clapton and Mick Jagger. Ultimately, though, he’ll probably always be known for the albums Gris-Gris, Dr. John’s Gumbo, In the Right Place and Desitively Bonnaroo (a name music-festival fans might recognize).

And the best news of all is that both the Neville Brothers and Dr. John (above, playing “Iko Iko”) are playing The Wellmont Theatre tomorrow night, and The House List is giving away two tickets. Want to go? Then fill out the form below, listing your name, e-mail address, which show you’re trying to win tickets to (Nevilles/Dr. John, 2/13) and a brief message telling us what you love about New Orleans music. The winner will be notified later today.