BADFLOWER / SLOTHRUST / MISSIO – Boston Hob
Rick Fleck
Boston Station BAdvertising flowers2024 There’s no place like home The tour location is the House of Blues on ancient Lansdowne Street. Long home runs from neighboring Fenway Park sometimes land at Lansdowne. Little did I know that Pearl Jam was playing at Fenway Park that night. The neighborhood is nearly impassable. I’m glad to be able to go bad flower concert. I would rather see a band that represents the current zeitgeist than a legacy band performing songs written decades ago, no matter how good the legacy band is. Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy” and bad flower“The Teacher Has a Gun” shows why.
“Jeremy” blends two stories of school-related gun violence that Pearl Jam singer-songwriter Eddy Vedder weaves into one powerful song. “The Teacher Has a Gun” bad flower He is the new generation of “Jeremy”. In the song, the protagonist’s teacher has a gun. His sister has a gun. Everyone has a gun. The threat is no longer the lone outcast wearing a black rag. Threats come from all directions and are inevitable. There is no safe haven left.
Photo Rick Fleck
badflorr’s performance was a revelation. They command the stage like rock stars. They take already compelling, emotional, and sonically perfect songs and bring them to life through an explosion of sound, lighting, and showmanship. bad flower Vocalist/guitarist Josh Katz, lead guitarist Joey Morrow, bass guitarist Alex Espiritu and drummer Anthony Thorne Anthony Sonetti.
One can hear the influence of bands like Cage the Elephant in the melodies and sounds of their songs. Both the styling and songwriting pay homage to “My Chemical Romance.” Going back in time, there are elements of post-punk/new wave avant-garde bands like the Cure. Badflower also displays its emo style. But make no mistake, they are their own unique beasts, and that’s on full display at House of Blues.
bad flower The show kicked off with the aforementioned “Teacher Has a Gun,” wisely charging onto the stage with a fan favorite. “Heroin” is a highlight of the show. This is not a drug song, but a song about an obsessive relationship. bad flower The ability to bring drama and gravitas to any beat. The performance of “heroin” is very obvious. “The Jester” is a lyrically powerful song that elicits enthusiastic sing-alongs as Morrow’s guitar playing recalls the sounds of old-school Southern rock. Katz had the audience in the palm of his hand all evening.
“Ghost” was a showpiece and “30” resonated with me on a personal level. Lyrically, a clear comparison can be made between “30” and Radiohead’s “Creep.” Many of us go to concerts to create an emotional connection with the music. We know and love these songs by listening to them through headphones. Now we have the chance to experience them ourselves.
“Family” is the last song before the encore. In short, “Family” is heart-wrenching. “I don’t deserve this family, you’d be better off without me.” You have to wonder what Katz was feeling when he wrote those lyrics. When he sings this song, your heart goes out to him. He takes you back to a place of pain and suffering. Katz serves as a surrogate for the audience, articulating their collective anxieties and providing them with catharsis.
Other standouts include “Fukboi,” “Detroit” and the unreleased “Snuff.” “Detroit” is about the baby boomer generation’s desire to give their children everything they never had. But they end up neglecting them emotionally. The night ended with “Girlfriend,” another crowd pleaser and a fitting choice to bring the curtain down. From the 1970s to the 2020s, there is no decade bad flower There’s no way you can go up on stage and own it.
In May of this year, I saw Sloth fungus Headlines from Cambridge, MA. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of its landmark album at The Sinclair sure. I’d love to see them in bad flower travel. Slothrust is guitarist/singer/songwriter Leah Wellbaum and drummer/percussionist Will Gorin. Joining them is Weakened Friends bassist Annie Hoffman, who played with them on the Of Course You Do tour.
Photo Rick Fleck
Welbaum’s side of the big stage was filled with dramatic gestures and honest expressions of emotion. Hoffman is a whirling dervish who always smiles. The two of them make any stage, big or small, feel intimate. Welbaum engages the audience with a sense of humor that is simultaneously cynical, sarcastic and humble. Highlights from their set are “Double Down,” “Cranium,” and their stunning cover of Ginuwine’s hit “Pony.”
mission Opening night took to the stage like a band from the melting pot of live music in Austin, Texas. The duo, consisting of vocalist/multi-instrumentalist/producer Matthew Brue and engineer/multi-instrumentalist/producer David Butler, will also join the tour with drummer Joey Castro and guitarist Scott Garrett Graham. Missio is difficult to define in the best sense. At times taking the industrial wall of sound of Nine Inch Nails, the hard edge of Korn, the chaotic energy and thick riffs of System of a Down, and the brainworm beats of Gorillaz, it’s like alchemy creating their own signature sound.
Photo Rick Fleck
They opened with the single “Thehigheryouclimb” and followed up with a cohesive, well-structured set that included some of their most popular songs. The show included their hit single “Twisted,” which fired up the crowd. Everybody’s High is a stark and engaging look at addiction. They end with a powerful “Good Vibrations” note. From start to finish, this set was a highlight. The spacious stage provided enough performance space for the three ensembles, but I was excited to see Missio play the lead role.
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