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troubled-times-music-review · 4 years ago

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CONCERT REVIEW: The Struts - Live at the Drive In (19 August 2020)

Starlight Drive-In, Butler, Pennsylvania

For my first real post on Troubled Times Music Review, I’ll be discussing a show I went to recently. I had the pleasure of seeing The Struts for the 2nd time (the first being in 2018, opening for Foo Fighters). I was so excited to see that The Struts would be coming to Butler, as this is about 40 minutes away from me. I usually have to drive 1-2 hours to either Pittsburgh or Cleveland for shows. Other than that, I finally got to see some live music! I’ve only been to live stream concerts in 2020 (as well as seeing a friend’s band, which is still enjoyable but isn’t exactly the same). Overall, this was a great night and I’m glad I got to experience it. Keep reading for more!

Nick Perri & The Underground Thieves

I’ll start by talking about the opening band: Nick Perri & The Underground Thieves. This band hails from Philadelphia and is led by musician/producer Nick Perri. Before this show was announced, I had never heard of this band. I’m glad I know them now. I first listened to them a few days before the show. When doing this, I realised that their debut album, Sun Via, came out on 14 August. I won’t go into too much detail about this album since this is a concert review, but the album is great. Check it out!

Lineup at This Show

Nick Perri - Lead vocals, guitar

Brian Weaver - Bass

Justin DiFebbo - Keys

Michael Montesano - Backing vocals, maracas, guitar

Anthony Montesano - Backing vocals, tambourine

Zil Fessler - Drums

Setlist

Let You Know

Feeling Good

I Want You

Modern Man (Unreleased song)

Excess

*”White Noise” and “Everybody Wants One” were played during soundcheck but not during the show*

The Struts

The Struts are a band I would 100% recommend to anyone. On top of the heaps of talent within this band and the relatability of their music, concertgoers find themselves craving more. They put on one hell of a show. As much as we might not like to admit it, some of our favourite bands just aren’t nearly as good live as in recordings. This is not one of those bands. The only disappointing thing about their shows is that they end. This particular one consisted mostly of high energy songs that you can’t help but dance to, even with 6+ feet between you and everyone else. With stellar vocals and invigorating instrumentals, The Struts’ performance is one you don’t want to miss.

Lineup at This Show

Luke Spiller - Lead vocals

Adam Slack - Guitar

Jed Elliott - Bass

Gethin Davies - Drums

Jesse Blum (MisterWives) - Trumpet

Mike Murphy (Misterwives) - Saxophone

Setlist

Primadonna Like Me

Body Talks

Kiss This

Fire (Part 1)

One Night Only

Strange Days (Unreleased song)

Another Hit of Showmanship (Unreleased song

I Do It So Well

Cool (Unreleased song; with Nick Perri)

Put Your Money On Me

Where Did She Go

Encore

Could Have Been Me

Overall Opinion

Not to be dramatic or anything, but The Struts are one of the best bands I’ve ever seen live. This show was no exception. We were in the 2nd row of cars, pretty much in the middle, so the only spot that would have been better was the one in front of us. We could see the stage perfectly, which I’m so happy about. Concerts are hard for short people. As someone who is prone to seizures, I get kind of nervous about shows and that the flashing lights might bother me. Unfortunately, it’s happened before. At this one, however, the lights were just the right level of flashy to not be bothersome. The only real inconvenience at this show was that they had special drive-in concert shirts and posters, but they sold all of them in Philadelphia the night before so I couldn’t get one. But I’m just thankful to have been able to go to a concert, and a great one at that!

Overall Rating

10/10!

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