Show-stopping, astounding, and phenomenal are just a handful of words you can use to describe The Struts, whose ‘Strange Days Are Over’ tour hit Rochester at the Main Street Armory on October 15th and the glam rock band brought the house down.
Luke Spiller of The Struts. Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
Lead singer, Luke Spiller, is an electrifying showman. Luke nailed every single note of every single song as the energy kept up. He ran back and forth and eventually had to remove his shirt, which naturally sent the fans into a frenzy. Accompanying Spiller was Adam Slack on the Jed Elliott on the bass, and Gethin Davies on the drums.
Fans of The Struts packed the Main Street Armory. Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
Each musician brought their own personality. This mixed with a killer performance and the die-hard fans that knew every word created an atmosphere that was intoxicating in the best way possible.
If you ever have the chance to see this band, don’t walk, strut.
Setlist: Primadonna Like Me, Body Talks, Kiss This, I Hate How Much I Love You, Fire, One Night Only, Dirty Sexy Money, Low Key In Love, Mary Go Round, Medley, Am I Talking To The Champagne (Or Am I Talking To You), Wild Child, I Do It So Well.
Encore: Strange Days, It Could’ve Been Me
Luke Spiller of The Struts. Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
Adam Slack of The Struts. Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
Jed Elliott of The Struts. Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
Gethin Davies of The Struts. Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
Luke Spiller of The Struts. Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
Adam Slack of The Struts. Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
Jed Elliott of The Struts. Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
Luke Spiller of The Struts. Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
Adam Slack of The Struts. Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
Luke Spiller of The Struts. Photo by Samantha Rychlicki
Play it Leo! Kottke that is. Leo Kottke returned to Homer Center for the Arts on Saturday, October 16. This solo acoustic performance, his last Upstate New York show since April 2018 at The Clayton Opera House comes ahead of the three dates scheduled with Mike Gordon of Phish in the Empire State this December. During 2020 the duo released their first record Noon in over fifteen years. So it was fitting for Leo to open the show with “From Pizza Towers to Defeat” at Homer Center for the Arts, a song written by the duo from their 2002 album Clone.
John McConnell , Leo Kottke, Clayton Opera House April 2018
You wouldn’t have seen a tour bus outside the Homer Center for the Arts on Saturday night. Leo Kottke’s solo tour traveling rig is simple, and very reminiscent of Chuck Berry when he showed up at the venue driving himself with two guitars and a steel slide in tow. Leo deals with venue staff directly and settles up on his own with no tour manager. Mike Gordon of Phish told Rolling Stone “Hes like this American treasure living in his own bubble. He’ll travel the country listening to Lone Ranger series from the 1950’s in its entirety in the car.”
Leo Kottke, Center for the Arts Homer , October 2021
Leo’s stories from traveling this great country were weaved in to his ninety minute set on the intimate Homer stage. Outside the venue was a local haunted attraction in its 39th year that gave the performance a vibe of Phish’s interpretation of Disney’s Chilling, Thrilling, Sounds of the Haunted House.
Although Leo didn’t tell the crowd about his most recent studio release with Phish’s bassist, instead he told them about the first drummer he has ever collaborated with in 60 years:
I’m having a ball doing this with David King of the band Bad Plus. It’s a nice cocktail kit, he doesn’t come in with this Keith Moon suicide drowning thing. We go in the studio and start making shit up, the only thing Dave doesn’t like is when I stop. It’s a great attitude to be around, a little dangerous as I will demonstrate now.
Leo Kottke
He told the crowd of American modernist composer Charles Ives and his struggles to get his work out. Overtime he hired Burlesque dancers to enhance attention on his Concord Sinata 2. After becoming acknowledged for his work someone told Ives over time, “I can tell its good music but it doesn’t sound very good” to which Ives replied “What,s sound got to do with music?”
Leo’s point on it was that its a privilege to be able to play and if you have a chance to play. You don’t get to pick where you play and if you want people to hear what your doing and can’t find a crowd hire a burlesque orchestra to get some clout. “I mean its a privilege all around that it ever even happens in any faint way for you…but if there are people that want to listen your stuck with a privilege beyond luck, it becomes a thing itself”
The audience chuckled as Kottke told them that he has played prisons, hospitals, schools and claimed they are all the same. For Kottke, The Center for the Arts in Homer counts as a 150 year old church gig. Leo admitted to playing a library opening in the past five years to a fellow musician friend due to his complaining that he has been subject to pizza parlor gigs. Defeat the pizza towers, “Play Anywhere,” Kottke told the crowd.
You also won’t find a setlist after Leo’s performance either. The same fashion in which he entered he chose to exit and play through the encore “So we could all leave at the same time.” He finished the show with the classic piece “Corrina,” walking off the stage with both guitars in hand. New York’s legendary Pete Seeger called Kottke “The Best 12 string player in the world.”
In December when Kottke returns to New York State with jamband giant Mike Gordon, expect the same kind of sharpness at the performance. Even though Leo has seen Phish on New Years Eve at Madison Square Garden, Mike Gordon recalled a tale from the road during their last tour when he put on a Grateful Dead jam to listen to in which Leo replied “OK, that’ll be enough of that.”
Leo Kottke and Mike Gordon December 2021 Tour Dates
December 8 – Munhall, PA – Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall December 9 – Washington, DC – Sixth & I December 10 – Tarrytown, NY – Tarrytown Music Hall December 12 – Beverly, MA – The Cabot December 13 – Lebanon, NH – Lebanon Opera House * December 15 – Troy, NY – Troy Savings Bank Music Hall December 16 – Norwalk, CT – Wall Street Theater December 17 – York, PA – Appell Center for the Performing Arts December 19 – Plattsburgh, NY – Strand Center for the Arts
Lil Tjay, born in the Bronx, has become at just 18 years old one of his generation’s fastest breakout rappers, having performed since 2019, put on a thrilling show on Saturday, October 9 at the Westcott Theater in Syracuse. The Westcott inhabits a cinema style venue with a capacity of 700 people; it was a complete night and day difference before and after the crowd came through. Giving off a festival pit vibe upfront with a bar in the back, this is a perfect venue for the youth. The stage is easy to see from all angles which is very inviting.
One of many stops on the “Destined to Win Tour” Tjay performed a series of his latest hits such as “Headshot”(featuring. Polo G), and one of his top hits with almost 400 Million plays, “Calling my Phone.” A variety of performers preceded Lil Tday’s set, including Jacosse, The Real Raw Breed, Syndacit, Kyy Stacks, Kaash Paige and Rassandra, also known as RazyBaby, who recently dropped a song with Tjay called “In too Deep.”
Host for the night, Concert Crave, played various top rap hits throughout the concert which entertained the crowd in the pit, VIP section and throughout the known ‘sidelines.’
During “Calling My Phone,” Tjay and crew asked the crowd to put up the flashlights on their phones. This immediately lit up the venue and created an amazing atmosphere for the crowd, fans and all performers.
Tjay appealed to the audience with phones lit up in the sky and performed “What You Wanna Do,” followed by “Mood Swings.” Shortly after, Rasandra came on stage not once but twice after Lil Tjay brought her out on stage to perform their new single “In too Deep.”
Throughout the show, various artists were throwing water into the crowd, taking selfies with front row fans, encouraging mosh pits, and even throwing merch to various crowd members.
At a prime point, Tjay ripped off his shirt and threw it into the audience, which brought the crowd to an uproar, captivating his audience and making the best of that night.
With millions of views and millions of fans, Tjay’s career has only shortly begun. Relating to the younger crowd, he speaks to his generation, relating to teen and young adult struggles, and also his own. Lil Tjay has come a long way and will continue on the path ahead of him.
Lil Tjay next performs in New York at Citi Field on October 30, part of Rolling Loud. More info here.
With the Clifford Ball and their first massive festival now in the rearview mirror, Phish began their fall tour just two months later in Lake Placid, NY. Conveniently, the tour opener was scheduled for the day after the release of Billy Breathes, their sixth studio album which was recorded in Bearsville, NY earlier in the year.
This show would seem to serve as a celebration of that, with a whopping nine songs pulled from it for duty this evening. Combined with the usual tour opening gaffs, it doesn’t make for the most free-flowing of shows in the world, but certainly offers more than a good glimpse of Phish at a time when they are skyrocketing in popularity while still trying to find ways to innovate and explore new musical paths. After two acclaimed shows at the Olympic Center last year, Phish would return for their third and final show at Lake Placid to date.
Accordingly, the show begins with the first of many selections from Billy Breathes in “Cars Trucks Buses.” A feisty Page McConnell piano solo highlights this one and gets a serious round of applause from the Lake Placid crowd. This immediately gives way to the familiar ambient noise and iconic bass lick opening of “Down With Disease.” Trey flubs a few of the early lyrics but still manages to nail his signature guitar riff before the band is off and running with a first set jam that stalls early before picking up speed instantly and coming to rousing climax.
Fall Tour “Cars Trucks Buses” shirt courtesy of Warren Baker via PhanArt
After a standard run through of “Wilson,” Jon Fishman cranks up the percussive intro to “Buried Alive” which yields another hearty Anastasio guitar solo. The tempo goes up even another notch with the juiced up “Poor Heart” that follows and is played to perfection. Then it’s back to the Billy Breathes catalog with album’s title track, which was also played in soundcheck before the show. McConnell, Anastasio and bassist Mike Gordon nail the complex vocal harmonies before going into the instrumental section that doesn’t stray too far from the studio version.
“Mound” and “Sample In A Jar,” two traditional first set building blocks, are each played with precision, with the latter garnering another giant round of applause from the Lake Placid faithful. In addition to “Mound,” the rest of the first set is peppered with more cuts from Phish’s acclaimed Rift album like “It’s Ice,” which has a little trouble on the dismount, and the traditional “The Horse” and “Silent In The Morning” pairing. The “I think that this exact thing happened to me just last year” lyric in “Morning” is especially apt here, with two Phish shows occurring at this very same venue just eleven months ago, technically last year. And as it tends to do, “Character Zero” closes out the first set with its customary panache.
Tonight’s second set begins with “Wolfman’s Brother” which produces another mild jam that doesn’t veer too far. This is succeeded by “Taste,” another Billy Breathes tune that goes a little deeper and features some wonderfully dissonant guitar phrasing from Trey. Things then slow down tremendously as Mike Gordon leads the band through his contribution to the new album, “Train Song,” only the fifth one ever performed at this point.
Lake Placis fan poster, image courtesy Warren Baker
Phish then revs the Lake Placid engine back up with the opening licks to “Simple.” This features, by far, the most exploratory improvisation of the night with another jam that has good intentions but never seems to really lift off the ground. An extended ambient-sounding section soon gives way to heavy drum and bass with Anastasio feverishly working his guitar’s funky “wah” tone. Meanwhile, Page is rotating between organ fills and pounding on the piano before Trey jumps on his percussion kit that was on stage these days. As the lone extended jam of the evening, it failed to strike a chord with at least one attendee this evening.
That Simple is by far the most interesting song of the night, foreshadowing that it will be one of the top-tier jam vehicles for the rest of the year. But a large span of its 16 minutes are spent with Trey on his percussion kit, with Page switching between organ and piano to try to keep it afloat, unconvincingly. It’s an example of the mini-kit as momentum-killer, and more broadly, of Trey’s well-meaning but wrong-footed attempt at forcing band democracy.
Rob Mitchum
Phish then goes back to the Billy Breathes playbook in a big way with the three songs that follow, starting with the first ever performances of “Swept Away” and “Steep.” Both go off without a hitch and at the explosive end of “Steep,” the opening chords of “Prince Caspian” immediately begin. McConnell leads the way on this one with some thunderous play on piano early before it winds down. “Run Like An Antelope” then rears its head, much to the delight of the crowd, starting a vintage show-closing sequence. The band takes their time with this one and delivers a mesmerizingly dark jam that gradually gains intensity and a slew of audio effects before peaking.
“The Squirming Coil” has a few rough edges as well but is bailed out by its customary delightful piano solo ending from McConnell. And in a show full of original material, some of it brand new, Phish does throw one cover into the mix with a ferocious take on Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode.” This allows one last chance for Trey to lay down another few blistering runs on the fretboard and he takes full advantage. The encore for this evening should come as no surprise. It’s “Waste,” the ninth and final selection from Billy Breathes for the evening. With the tour opener now under their belt, Phish would then travel to Pennsylvania for two gigs before returning to Upstate New York in Buffalo for a show at Marine Midland Arena three days later.
Set 1: Cars Trucks Buses, Down With Disease, Wilson > Buried Alive > Poor Heart, Billy Breathes, Mound > Sample In A Jar, It’s Ice, The Horse > Silent In The Morning, Character Zero
Set 2: Wolfman’s Brother, Taste, Train Song, Simple > Swept Away > Steep > Prince Caspian, The Squirming Coil, Johnny B. Goode
Buffalo-area native Anthony Casuccio has returned with his first solo effort in over 20 years, Emotional Lockdown. Created last year during COVID-19 lockdown, Casuccio said he used music as an outlet to deal with isolation, composing over a dozen songs that became the six-track album. He plans to include some of the additional tracks in live DJ sets.
Casuccio, a guitarist and veteran Grammy-winning producer, has gained accolades for remastering albums for icons like Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison and Tony Bennett. But he took a new turn with his latest project, opting for EDM-infused pop with flourishes of 80s rock. The music merges classic pop vocals with experimental synths, feeling from many eras at once.
Photo via Anthony Casuccio
Casuccio combines an acoustic sound with diverse and genre-spanning dance beats. Something about the tone gives the music the feel of coming from your childhood. In fact, this could be widely applicable, as the music feels simultaneously from many different eras at the same time. Opening track “Love is the Answer” could easily soundtrack a Hands Across America ad. “My Destiny” with vocalist Laura Aiisha transports you to a 70s rave, practically conjuring the glitter and silk chiffon. And the penultimate track “I’m Free” brings to mind the Y2K energy of early Daft Punk and Darude’s “Sandstorm.”
Though he experiments with his favorite elements of many different genres, sometimes Casuccio relies too heavily on the constraints of radio pop. Beats-machine lines weaken the sound, and the vocal production often feels disjointed from Casuccio’s instrumentals. Casuccio has not yet mastered the immersive and feral nature of today’s electronic music. Yet his take still feels unique and new, if rough around the edges.
Casuccio’s taste for combining unusual elements from across pop eras can pay off. When his music leans into a more experimental and heady approach, exciting things happen. Electronic yet retro influences on songs like “Not Alone” bring to mind indie-pop auteur Alex Cameron. The songs’ standout guitar solo, which leads into the beat falling to pieces before disappearing, was a favorite moment on the album. “Not Alone”’s lyrics repeatedly question: “I’m on my own/ I hope I’ve grown.” Over the devolving beat, the track feels the most personal, and also the most arresting, of the entire project.
Though the focus is Casuccio’s production, he recorded his own vocals and recruited others to contribute. For “Love is the Answer,” Casuccio recruited veteran vocalist Cynthia Moore, who toured and recorded for 16 years with James Brown. Two songs also feature Buffalo-based singer Laura Aiisha, whose dreamy vocals on “My Destiny” elevate the pulsating disco track.
Final track “I Am Drowning” is the most modern pop hit on the project. The track features singer Maddie Radwan, a former student of Casuccio’s. Her raw vocals match pop’s current moment, dominated by artists like Billie Eilish and Willow Smith. The charming collaboration flows nicely and comes in at a chart-appropriate 3 minutes 34 seconds. But some of Casuccio’s production still feels unexpected and experimental, and the influences of a younger student are clear.
For all the ways in which COVID-19 crippled the music world, a bright spot was the wave of exploration and creativity that came from isolation. Artists across genres, cooped up, released experimental, raw work that will stand out for a long time. Cassuccio’s choice to experiment with a new sound and explore the bounds of his musicality shines through. Though the EP can falter, Casuccio’s taste for combining unique elements of dance music across time leaves the ear curious. One can only hope he will continue to use his skill with production to continue to explore what pop and EDM have to offer.
The highly creative collaboration from Paul McArdle and Zack Brinn has welcomed a refreshing form of new alternative rock music to New York State. The duo operate as Exit Atlas just releasing their new record The Unknown. The writing, production, and instrumentation for the album were composed in the state and sent to Nashville for finishing touches. The two Canandaigua natives have been collaborating for twenty years. This project came to life in the past two years.
Paul McArdle has spent this time as a guitarist on the Nectars stage circuit scene of the Northeast and Austin, Texas. When Dopapod guitarist Rob Compa formed his solo project, he told NYS Music “Without exaggeration, Paul is one of my favorite guitar players ever, and a huge influence for me, so I’ve always wanted to put something together with him” Paul sat in with Dopapod for a killing cover of the Derek Trucks tune “Kickin Bach” at a special leap year show dated 2/29/20 at the sold out Anthology venue in Rochester, NY. Monroe County’s Steve Gadd told NYS Music the secret of any great gig: “If you can trust the audience is hearing it the way you are, it gets to a spiritual level. In Japan or wherever you are. That’s the goal.”
Dopapod, Paul McArdle, 2/29/20
Paul’s signature tone can be heard on acoustic and electric guitar for every track as part of Exit Atlas. It’s no wonder that Zack Brinn who wrote all the lyrics and handles vocals for The Unknown wanted to weave them with McArdle’s musical style. Zack also takes care of the bass lines, drums, keyboards, programming and synthesizers. Brinn sprinkled some Brian Eno-like ambient sound trails on certain numbers as well.
Zack’s vocal tones are reminiscent of Peter Gabriel from inside the studio. His lyrics on “Annual” also set a familiar vibe, “The autumn sun it falls behind hills and we can watch it go down from here, we are safe, we are home.”
The production on this album reflects the same quality credits as a Peter Gabriel record. Listen for the various textures placed inside “Rain Chant.” The ticking clock intro on “Your Job” immediately addresses the time sacrificing your real dreams for the often required conformity to the machine. The song’s music video has an animation concept that Roger Waters would appreciate.
The seize the day feeling is grasped by the duo from an “Old Park Bench”… “I don’t believe in luck we’re given a choice each new day… sitting here on this old park bench I sing it out like millions are with me. We’re gonna make it.“
The walk from the bench into the great wide open is captured on “Make Some Memories”. Zack’s words resonate, “Time to throw caution to the wind, we’re going on an adventure for the ages, don’t you have a worry about a thing, look around at all your friends waiting.” And very fitting for Halloween, “Did you think I couldn’t tell? Put that costume on the shelf.“
The title track to the The Unknown album starts the record full circle for you, “When the past is knocking on the door, the present comes collecting tolls. A bright future seems to come and go. It’s the only place to stake our hope.” Brinn’s vocals bounce off McArdle’s chilling riff like Chris Cornell on Soundgarden’s 1994 Superunknownalbum.
Paul McArdle and Zack Brinn told NYS Music the origin of the duo’s name came from the expression “To carry the weight of the world on one’s shoulders.” This comes from the Greek myth of Atlas as his sculpture represents. Exit Atlas new album is a way to help relieve the beast of burden for the unknown scenes that lie ahead for us all.
It’s clear during this record it’s a coming of season combination of the duo’s life and music from the past two decades. In similar style Peter Gabriel officially put out his Woodstock 94’ live set last year with Rochester’s Tony Levin on bass. He is releasing his first studio record since 2002 next year. Twenty years seems to be a good time frame to let great art come to its musical fruition.
Key Tracks: Your Job, The Unknown, Make Some Memories
Tucked away in the hills of Coeyman’s Hollow, NY at Magic Forest Farm, artists, vendors, and fans alike came together for the first ever Diggin’ Roots Festival. Sugar Productions, Lyons Den Productions, and co-founder Koryn Shear put in countless hours, days, and months making this cozy little farm with a name to match a haven for the few hundred fans who would descend upon it.
The two-day festival started Friday evening with solo artist Matt Cosgrove covering plenty of 90’s rock hits and some amazing originals. Local Favorites, Raisinhead, were the first to grace the main stage with a few sit-ins from harmonica extraordinaire, Junebug. Ted Grey of Raisinhead stayed on stage for the next set as Quantum Cosmic came on, comprised of him and members of Annie in the Water, The Switch and the Reflexions. Last but surely not least, the Deadbeats rounded out the night with two hour long sets.
Saturday, music began at the crack of noon with the Token Locals. And no, not the heads just waking up from the night before. The wonderful Laura Leigh Band was on next. Laura and companions put on and amazingly whimsical and beautiful performance, setting a light mood for the remainder of the afternoon for Hilltop and the Lousy Slaughters.
As the day grew dark, local legends, the Wheel rolled out a classic set of Grateful Dead tunes before stepping aside for Dr. Jah and the Love Prophets. These two Captiol Region favorites have been playing here for many years, Dr. Jah looking at close to 30 years of incredible Reggae.
Hailing all the way from Harrisburg, PA, you might remember Yam Yam from their recent set at Alive at Five, Albany’s free summer concert series. Shane Spillinger of Sugar Productions noted how well they were received that night, making sure to bring them back for this festival. As the band came on stage the crowd chanted “Yam Yam! Yam Yam!” continuing, whether they liked it or not, after every song.
Long Island’s Baked Shrimp was the last band of the night, playing a quick hour set before giving way to Danish DJ David Maros who played deep into the night.
Their inaugural year was an absolute success and we at NYS Music hope there will be plenty more in the years to come as the new festival continues Diggin’ Roots.
On Sunday, October 10th, HR (who is best known as the frontman for the iconic punk band Bad Brains) performed at The Kingsland in Brooklyn. Opening acts included local punk bands Aliens and Public Nature.
Bad Brains formed in Washington D.C. in 1977. They are regarded as the pioneers of harcore punk although the bands members have objected to the term to describe their music. They also feature elements of other genres of music like reggae, funk, heavy metal, hip hop and soul. The band has had several members over the years, but the classic line up includes singer HR, guitarist Dr Know, bassist Darryl Jenifer and drummer Earl Hudson.
In more recent years, HR’s performances have become more mellow focusing on primarily reggae and rasta. His current backing band includes guitarist Ezekiel Zagar, bassist jfreshi and drummer Adam Williams. HR’s distinct voice still sounded the same as he performed songs from his solo career as well as some new ones that will be featured on his new album coming soon.
Public Nature opened the show on Sunday night. The band consists of lead singer/guitarist and founder Oscar Canas, bass player Robbie Harrison and drummer Scott Lehman. They sounded terrific as they ripped through songs from their catalogue such as “Old Bus”, “My Friend”, “Find My Baby” and “Summer Rain.” The band has a very Nirvana esque sound with heavy rips and melodic melodies. Oscar came to New York via MedellÃn, Colombia in 2014 with songs he had written over the years and released his first single under the band name Tender Beats. You can check out more of his music here.
Next was New York hardcore punk band Aliens. The band consists of frontman Blake Sandberg on guitar/vocals, Kevin Jones on bass and Miguel Vela on drums. They also put on a tremendous performance with songs from their inventory such as “Committed to Wind”, “Neversleep”, “Reflex Motor” and “The In Side. This band has played historic NYC venues such as CBGB, The Knitting Factory, Bowery Electric and has toured the US. Blake has also recorded with Hunt Sales (Iggy Pop/David Bowie) and The Rammellzee. You can find Alien’s music here.
Setlists:
Public Nature: Old Bus, My Friend, Play Love, Elephant Man, Find My Baby, Every Day Saturday, Summer Rain, Sentimental, Boo, She Said, Hey You
Aliens: Committed to Wind, Moving Parts, Neversleep, Shape Shifter, Guinea Pig, Enjoy Killing Time, Stow Away, Reflex Motor, Leave Luck To Heaven, Storage Space, Watch and Learn, The In Side
HR: Psalm 100, Easy, Attitude, Everything You Do, Peace and Love II, Let Luv Lead the Way, Married Again, Mighty Comforter, Sovereignty Prayer, I And I Survive, I Luv I Jah, Shame In Dem Game, Rasta
The Struts played Irving Plaza on Friday, October 8, part of a huge U.S. tour that started in August and takes them across the U.S. until mid-November. They were as tight as you’d expect from a band that’s been on tour for months, rocking thru a long set that included many new songs from their last record, Strange Days. It was written and recorded during the pandemic lockdown, and the title song’s chorus is an apt description of that time…
Oh these are strange days, In many strange ways, Science fiction I believe, Has become reality, Oh these are strange times, Lost in our minds, We don’t know, it’s unclear, Where we’ll be this time next year
the Struts
Thankfully the next year finds them onstage, where they belong. Their recorded music is made for packed shows with the crowd singing along, and Friday night was exactly that. From the second singer Luke Spiller swaggered onstage, the audience was singing and cheering at his command. Spiller is a natural performer, constantly moving and thriving on the audience’s feedback, never letting their set’s energy decrease.
the Struts
From the opening notes of “Primadonna Like Me” he controlled the entire show, engaging the crowd between every song by demanding more applause or encouraging them to do complicated sing alongs, reminiscent of Rob Halford of Judas Priest. He introduced every track with a description like ‘the next song is about my favorite thing’ before “Dirty Sexy Money” or ‘the last song was the foreplay and now we’re gonna turn down the lights, so get out your phones’ before the venue went dark and they played “Mary Go Round” by the light of the crowd’s phones.
the Struts
“Body Talks,” “One Night Only” and “Kiss This” are hit songs so it’s expected people joined in, but it was impressive how well the audience knew all the words to their new songs, including “I Hate How Much I Want You,” where they took over the part of the backing vocals sung on the album by Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott and Phil Collen. Other new songs played were “Wild Child,” (written with Tom Morello) that started with guitar player Adam Slack alone onstage in a spotlight for an extended introductory solo, and the sultry “Am I talking to the Champagne” that had Spiller singing at the piano.
the Struts
The last song was a long version of “I Do It So Well,” and Spiller introduced Slack, bass player Jed Elliott and drummer Gethin Davies, and then split the audience down the middle into Slack and Elliott’s sides, and pitted them against each other in a spirited cheering contest. After going back and forth for awhile Spiller said ‘fucking hell New York that was all right’ and then kept the song going, directing everyone to crouch down as they decreased the tempo and volume, and the place got hushed until Spiller told everyone to leap up and scream as loud as they could and the place went crazy. The song volumed soared and the crowd jumped up and down in unison, shaking the whole place. At the end they walked offstage leaving the audience chanting ‘one more song’ at the end of the set (which was selling the encore short because there were two songs left on the setlist.)
the Struts
Spiller came out alone and began “Strange Days” at the piano and the place went silent, appreciating his playing and impressive vocal range. They ended their show, unsurprisingly, with their smash hit “Could Have Been Me,” leading the crowd in one last sing along before taking a sweaty bow. It’s pretty common to find the Struts opening for the world’s biggest rock acts or playing festivals, so it was special to see them in a smaller venue like Irving Plaza.
the Struts
The Starbenders, from Atlanta, were the opening band. The crowd was mostly full and enjoyed their set, their moody stage lighting and sound were reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine or The Jesus and Mary Chain. They are playing several other dates on this Struts tour.
The Struts – Irving Plaza – October 8, 2021
Setlist: Primadonna Like Me, Body Talks, Kiss This, Hate How Much I Want You, Fire, One Night Only, Dirty Sexy Money, Low Key in Love, Mary Go Round (acoustic), Put Your Money on Me, Medley, Champagne, Wild Child, I Did it so Well Encore: Strange Days, Could Have Been Me
Rochester is home to some long standing music venues, one in particular is Montage Music Hall. This venue has seen many acts from locals to national artists ever since it opened its doors many years ago, it has been host to bands such as Tantric, All That Remains, Clutch, and many other big names. On October 5th, Montage Music Hall hosted Attila on their “Day Drinking Tour,” along with Jynx and with local support from Destroy//Create, and Perspectives. The show had a great turnout and energy throughout the night, especially for the show being on a weekday. Head over to the Montage Music Halls site to find out what shows are next.
