Who needs electricity? Apparently not The Beta Band, as the group created enough energy of its own at its blacked-out gig at the Vic Theatre April 18.

Just as the Scottish genre-benders were set to take the stage, the power went out at the venue, stranding concertgoers, crew and the band in the dark. As the soft glow of emergency lights filled the Vic and roadies’ flashlights beamed across the stage, concerned murmuring rose from the crowd, lest their night be cut short before it even began. Determined not to disappoint, the keyboard/sampler-heavy group improvised, playing three songs and an extended instrumental jam acoustically, much to the delight of fans close enough to the stage to hear soft-spoken Stephen Mason’s soothing vocals and droll quips.

Mason called for silence from the crowd, which politely obliged, allowing him and his bandmates to work through bizarre, yet surprisingly deft, acoustic interpretations of “Human Being,” “Quiet,” and “Dry the Rain.”

And when they ran out of songs to play, they emptied their dressing room fridges, came back onstage with champagne bottles and cups, and poured their fans drinks.

Why not? The champagne was getting warm anyway. nyou