The Rave is a venue I’ve been to many times. Before this show I even had the chance to scope it out a few days prior while attending The Gaslight Anthem the previous weekend. The venue itself is in the old Eagle’s Ballroom and is allegedly haunted as several people had drowned in the pool located in the basement. That alongside the fact that the infamous Ambassador Hotel where Jeffrey Dahmer took his first victim is just across the street.
All that being said, nothing out of the ordinary happened for me at the show. The venue, having a capacity of 1,800 people, was absolutely packed. The show opened up with Speedy Ortiz, an indie band from Northampton, Massachusetts. The band was originally the solo project of lead singer Sadie Dupuis. Honestly a solid opener for the show, I find they kind of remind me of Death Cab For Cutie.
Headlining the show, Silversun Pickups is one of those bands that I didn’t know by name, but the second I started listening to them I recognised them. This band has been active since 2000, releasing their debut EP “Pikul” in 2005 and their debut album “Carnavas" in 2006.
I was thoroughly impressed with their two hour set seeing as I myself took a few breaks from taking photos during the show while they were performing and didn’t lose a single bit of energy on stage. The lighting, as you can see in some of the pictures was one of the coolest I’ve seen so far. Creating a distinct light show with hanging lightbulbs controlled almost independently to go with their set. The sheer amount of setup and takedown that must require is amazing. Not to mention moving it from venue to venue. The set wrapped up with one of, if not their most popular song, “Lazy Eye.”
All in all, it was an amazing show, and I can’t wait to see what these two bands have in the works in the future. If you’d like to check them out, I have each of their websites below. They are both also on spotify, youtube music, apple music, and soundcloud among others, as well as being available on vinyl and CD.
Check them out at
https://silversunpickups.com/
https://www.speedyortiz.com/
Next up will be Lili Refrain and Kalandra.
