Tuesday night after a heavy rainfall afternoon, I hopped into my car and made my way downtown for a special night at House Of Blues to see the highly anticipated Silversun Pickups. I was feeling the nostalgia as my memory was bringing back flashbacks of me and my best friend listening to them over and over on our little ipod nano as we would wait for our next class to start in school. Most of the time it was their hit song ‘Panic Switch’, which I feel at LEAST eighty percent of the population knows of that song by now… at least I would hope so. Anyways, so yeah, to say I was on cloud nine and geeking out is an understatement. I didn’t even care about the flooding on the highway as I was making my way to the venue! If that’s not full level excitement and dedication… I don’t know what is. After about an hour of driving, I was finally inside the walls of good ol’ House Of Blues where other fans also gathered while eagerly awaiting for what was yet in store for the night ahead. I even passed by the merch line to see it was wrapped around the whole back row of the VIP section, usually that would be an annoyance to fans but everyone was legitimately happy to be there. Even if it was while standing in the merch line.
New York trio, Hello Mary led the night away with a ten song setlist with songs including “Stinge”, “Looking Right Into The Sun”, “Sink In” and more. There were a few hiccups with drummer and vocalist Stella Wave, it appeared as if the bass/kick drum was running away from her as she was drumming. She of course anxiously laughed it off as a stagehand member came and weighed it down, and in the meantime continued chatting it up with the audience. Everyone cheered them on as they started to play again and you could tell, that alone, really pumped up their energy. Hello Mary is composed of guitarist/vocalist Helena Straight, as mentioned, drummer/vocalist Stella Wave and bassist Mikaela Oppenheimer. All three very talented female musicians… Throughout their performance, Hello Mary effortlessly gave the crowd the best dose of energy to prepare us for Silversun Pickups. Their setlist was a well-curated mix that showcased their versatility as artists. Honestly, there couldn’t have been a better band to open for Silversun Pickups, they were the right dose of calm yet electrifying energy that definitely kick started the night.
It was finally time for Silversun Pickups, and the energy in the air was at an all time high. I still couldn’t believe I was finally getting to see them for the first time, and not only that, but being able to photograph and cover the show. I mean, what is this life? I am beyond thankful for the opportunities like this… sometimes I still feel like I’m in a dream. As I stood there eager as ever, the house lights finally went dim, as cheers echoed throughout the air, and Silversun Pickups strides onto the stage along with what seemed like hundreds of lightbulbs lit up behind them. Look, as a concert photographer, good stage lighting is something we all hope and pray for at a show but this setup was just incredible. I was blown away… and not only because it helps me out but it just flowed so well with the overall vibe from the band. It was pretty darn mesmerizing. Silversun Pickups is an alternative rock band from Los Angeles and consists of Brian Aubert, Nikki Monninger, Christopher Guanlao, and Joe Lester. The band released their debut EP, “Pikul”, in July 2005, and their debut album, “Carnavas”, on July 26, 2006. They’ve been on the rise ever since, grabbing at the heart strings of every human that becomes a fan… and have since then released five more studio albums. Their nineteen song setlist started off with songs including “Sticks And Stones”, “Well Thought Out Twinkles”, everyone’s obvious favorite “ Panic Switch”, and “Alone On A Hill”. It seemed as if each song that was coming from that stage had the audience singing along right with them, it was a complete jam sesh and I must admit, I was here for it. With the rich blend of textured instruments and dynamic shifts, the energy within the room was growing in intensity by the minute. After taking time to chat with the audience, more songs including “ Kissing Families”, “Mean Spirits”, and “Substitution”, blasted through our eardrums. I was actually quite impressed with the setlist since it featured such a vast majority of their incredible catalog, we got a piece of every album and it was complimented with such stunning stage visuals. Silversun Pickups truly have such a one-of-a-kind sound, with waves of fuzzy and distorted riffs along with melodic bass lines, and atmospheric keys and drums. To top all of that off is their emotionally intense lyrics. Its a combination of sound that is daunting and dreamy in a way. It’s kind of hard to explain, but I know most Silversun Pickup fans would explain it the same. Ending their show with encores including “Three Seed”, “Canibal ”, “Empty Nest”, and another personal favorite “Lazy Eye”, I couldn’t even imagine a better performance. I was literally blown away, stunned, shocked, amazed and everything in between. Basically to the point I needed to get my jaw off of the floor.
Silversun Pickups surely brought a night of nostalgia and modernity, leaving fans with a night to always remember. And even though they did not play my all time favorite song “The Royal We”, It was still one of those shows that I will forever cherish.
SILVERSUN PICKUPS
HELLO MARY
Photos + Review by Krystie Archer | Exclusively for Music, Why Not!