April 13 marked the beginning of The Summer Set’s Stories for Monday North American Tour. The concert was held at the House of Blues, Anaheim, a venue that typically leads to an intimate concert experience, due to its small size and general admission-only seating. That night, the doors opened at 6:00pm, and the show began an hour later. At the start of the concert, I was shocked at how empty the venue was. I had heard the concert had almost sold out, but the room was barely filled halfway. Though I was shocked, I can’t say that I was disappointed. Sure, there would be no crowd surfing, but I was able to get close to the stage without fearing for my safety.
The first performer to go onstage was a rapper by the name of Karizma. One of the main jobs of an opening act is to get the crowd excited for the rest of the night, and he did exactly that. He performed his original songs like ‘For the Kids,’ ‘Silly Girls,’ and ‘Sober.’ He also performed covers of popular songs, and had the crowd dancing to My Chemical Romance’s ‘Teenagers’ at one point. Even though only two people at the concert seemed to know him and his music, Karizma had every person jumping and dancing through his set. He passed his phone around the crowd, encouraging people to take videos, selfies, and snapchats. He jumped into the crowd and had the audience form a circle, where various people started a dance off. It was refreshing to see a performer who was excited to perform, who was humble and didn’t think that he was better than anyone who came to see him.
The second act was by Royal Teeth, an alternative/indie band from Louisiana. They also performed covers, as well as their own songs, such as ‘Wild,’ ‘Heartbeats,’ ‘Pick up the Phone,’ and ‘Mais La.’ The group consists of five members, all of whom play their own instruments. This band also showcased male and female vocals, harmonizing expertly. This group had a lot of fun on the stage, jumping around and playing with various drum patterns.
The third set was by Handsome Ghost, a band that sounds like the love child of the 1975 and St. Motel. (That’s a compliment, I promise). They had electronic and organic beats in their music, coupled with ethereal sounding vocals. They performed songs like ‘Blood Stutter,’ ‘Weight of it All,’ and ‘We Won’t Sleep.’ They also performed their newest single, ‘Graduate,’ which was released on the 15th of April, two days after we got to listen to it. Their performance was hypnotic and alluring, leading the crowd into excitement for the rest of the night.
By the time The Summer Set joined the stage, the venue was so heavily packed that it was impossible to see the floor. They opened the show with their newest single, ‘Figure Me Out.’ They then proceeded to play hits from their previous album Legendary ‘Jukebox,’ and ‘Boomerang.’ By the end of the third songs, voices were raw from screaming lyrics alongside the band. Brian Logan Dales, the lead singer, told the crowd that the night had barely started and it was already the best night of his night, and then proceeded to perform. The Summer Set played every song from their latest album Stories for Monday, as well as older crowd favorites, like ‘Maybe Tonight,’ ‘Heart on the Floor,’ ‘Rescue,’ ‘Someone Like You,’ ‘The Boys You Do,’ and ‘Chelsea.’ Throughout the performance, the band interacted with the audience. The introduction to each song was peppered with anecdotes about the inspiration behind it, and the band talked about the non-profit organization they’re involved in, To Write Love on Her Arms. Perhaps the most intense moment of the concert was when Dales announced that the band had planned to break up before the making of Stories for Monday. “It’s weird being back here,” he said “knowing that the last time I toured, I thought it would be the last time ever.” He said that the band was going through a lot of trouble, and the day before they decided to announce that they were going to break up, they had a sudden epiphany and realized that ending the band would be a mistake. “I haven’t been this nervous about a performance in seven years” Dales added. The performance ended a little after 11:00pm, and they closed with ‘Legendary,’ and ‘Lightning in a Bottle.’ For the last song, Dales jumped into the crowd and sang and danced amongst his fans, and drummer Jess Bowen closed the show with an incredible drum solo.
Overall, The Summer Set brought an incredible amount of energy and professionalism to their performance. Watching the concert, you wouldn’t know that they were nervous, or that Dales had bronchitis days before starting the tour. Every member of the band was happy to be onstage, and seemed awed by the audience’s continuous support and admiration for them. If you want a night filled with good vibes, dancing, and tangible excitement, then I recommend seeing The Summer Set.