Polo & Pan with Tycho at WaMu Theater

I feel like I’ve been playing cat and mouse with Polo & Pan for the last few years. Ever since listening to Zoom Zoom around 7 or 8 years ago, adding their tracks to a driving playlist has been a very common occurrence. The French music duo made up of Paul Armand-Delille and Alexandre Grynszpan include relaxing beats that incorporate a mix of tropical vibes with electronic beats. One of my favorite parts of WaMu Theater is that it’s conveniently accessible from our wonderful Light Rail. I was a bit worried to make my way there knowing that the Mariners were playing a game that night at T-Mobile Park, alongside the Sounders playing a match next door at Lumen Field.

With my trusty AirPods and fully charged devices, I bussed over to the light rail and put my faith in our public transit system. After arriving I picked up my ticket at guest services and made my way into the venue. I’m consistently surprised when someone checking me in is surprised that I’m using a physical ticket, regardless of their age. Physical tickets are such a great way to cherish the memory of a show, it makes me sad they aren’t the default. Pro-tip, you can actually purchase tickets for many venues at the box office and not be hit with the excessive service charges we’re subject to in everyday life.

Opening the show for Polo & Pan was TYCHO aka Scott Hansen, an American musician, record producer, composer, and songwriter from Sacramento. After doing a little research on him, it turns out he’s also an avid photographer and visual artist that goes under the name “ISO50”. While roaming around the venue and chatting with other fans, I was surprised to hear how many of them were there because of TYCHO. Roughly 10 minutes before the show the crowd had really only filled up a small section at the front center of the barricade, but right around the time that TYCHO’s set started, the crowd size magically multiplied to fill the massive open floor of WaMu. While this may have been partly due to the sporting events happening at the same time, WaMu also has an impressive amount of bar space on both sides of the venue, as well as at the massive entrance of the venue itself.

While I’m not sure if he did the videos himself, TYCHO’s setup included stunning background video playing behind him throughout the whole set. With his chill, down-tempo style of electronic music, the crowd may not have been jumping up and down, but a wave of warmth, joy, and calm absolutely had them entranced. TYCHO’s last album Infinite Health was released at the end of 2024, and he has been touring since its release. With the tour coming to an end, he has actually just announced on Instagram this week that he has new music coming that will be released on October 22nd, so keep your eyes peeled. Scott’s avid sharing of his range of creative skills was a fun dive into what else an artist has going on in their daily lives.

As Polo & Pan took the stage, the audience evolved into a mix of excited fans bouncing up and down near the front, and those enjoying their own dances in the open space at the sides. A unique command station adorned the center stage. This large station really gave a sense of old school Tron as they moved between DJing behind it to separating themselves to each end of this large control center. With their newest album 22:22, released last March, this marks the band’s 3rd full album release. This album continues with a beautiful theme of what always feels like a relaxed dreamy story playing out through the album. Each album is well worth a listen from front to back while cruising through mountains, along the ocean, or relaxing on the couch at home with a nice stiff drink. While I didn’t get to hear my favorite track “Zoom Zoom,” Polo & Pan ultimately closed out the show with crowd favorites including “Nanã” and “Ani Kuni.” And even though my walk to the Light Rail was filled with fans of all 3 events, I easily slid onto the first train that arrived on the tracks.