Young The Giant @ 9:30 Club - 9/13/16
One could say that demand was higher than expected - after all, not many bands can say they've been able to sell out 9:30 Club three nights in a row. However, when you have alt-rock mainstays Young the Giant and Ra Ra Riot on the billing, it becomes much easier to fathom.
Appearing on the flag-adorned stage, Young the Giant used night 2 of their three-night 9:30 Club stay to play their latest album, Home of the Strange, in its entirety, saving older songs for the encore. They had the crowd’s attention from the start thanks to singer Sameer Gadhia’s fervent moves on stage and guitarist Eric Cannata’s equally-energetic strumming. “Titus Was Born” allowed Cannata to provide some deeper vocals that nicely contrasted with Gadhia’s as the backdrop’s stars twinkled brightly and the flags at the edges of the stage blew in the (fan-provided) wind. The conga-inspired beat behind “Nothing’s Over” provided another fun moment as Gadhia did his best Running Man and played his cowbell while the whole band did synchronized stage dancing on the beat.
Ra Ra Riot opening for Young The Giant at the legendary 9:30 Club in Washington, DC (photo by Mauricio Castro/@TheMauricio)
The biggest draw for fans is likely Gadhia’s ability to turn songs into anthems with his soaring voice. By the time “My Body” was played, the crowd was worked into a frenzy, jumping and singing along with Gadhia, who put in everything he had left into their final song. This is why they have found a huge following: Young the Giant’s take on indie rock is eclectic and anthemic, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them sell out bigger venues in the future.
Ra Ra Riot put on a just as impressive show with their new and old orchestral indie rock favorites. Vocalist Wes Miles often hung out on the edge of the stage, getting as close as he could to the crowd that was singing along. Songs both old and new received some subtle but appreciated changes - debut album favorite “Can You Tell” enjoyed a quicker pace than the more orchestral-leaning original version and poppier tracks like “Water” and “Foreign Lovers” from their newest album, Need Your Light, received a heftier dose of strings on the live version of the songs.
What hasn’t changed is the enthusiasm of the entire band, especially when drummer Kenny Bernard set the frenetic pace of “Boy”. His timing on the drums, especially on that song in particular, was impeccable and exciting to watch. Additionally, the fans blowing on violinist Rebecca Zeller’s hair made her passionate performance even more fun to watch. Even guitarist Milo Bonacci and bassist Mathieu Santos had some back-and-forth fun of their own in their corner of the stage. In all, the increased accessibility of their sound mixed with their infectious personality on stage made them a perfect fit for touring with Young the Giant.
