The alternative indie rock band Bad Suns is four shows deep into their Outskirts of Paradise tour and their energy is without a doubt strong.
The band is comprised of lead vocalist and rhythm guitar player Christo Bowman, lead guitar Ray Libby, bass player Gavin Bennett and Miles Morris on drums, and is fresh off their newest LP release “Disappear Here” (2016).
Satisfying the craving they left with their fans after the release, Bad Suns delivered a quality show that was full of energy, color and perspective; a refreshing look at the indie rock genre.
Indie rock band Hunny was taken along for the ride too, able to supply an energetic show that helped prep the crowd for the the
Although the audience’s reaction to Hunny was overwhelmingly positive, they were clearly not as stylistically or musically on focus as Suns. There didn’t seem to be a consistent flow of strong tracks – or any flow at all. The band seemed to be a Spotify station bouncing in and out of different types of music with no real thought behind song placement within the set.
Hunny did have the crowd laughing, though, when lead singer Jason Yarger pulled out a fidget spinner and nonchalantly added “fidget spinner” into the lyrics on one of his last songs.
Despite Hunny’s lack of both focus and strong songs, they were quite talented technically on whatever song they were playing and I will be following them to see if they are able to put out the classic album I know they are able to make. After Hunny left the stage I was surprised to see that the energy that they put out into the audience hadn’t died down. The audience that packed the sold out show at the interactive venue Meow Wolf was young, and they held onto the energy left by Hunny and continued dancing and singing along to the DJ’s music all the way up until the Bad Suns took the stage. From the second the Suns walked on stage to the end of their encore there seemed to be a continual back and forth with the crowd and the band.
The Bad Suns fueled a fire of excitement in the audience with hit after hit and the audience responded with cheers and pure joy that then fueled the band to continue the cycle with little to no stop in sight.
A good 99 percent of the audience was able to sing along to each song the Suns threw at them.
Instead of waiting to play all their most well-received song such as “Daft Pretty Boys,” “Cardiac Arrest,” and “We Move Like the Ocean,” the Bad Suns sprinkled them into the entirety of their set from start to finish.
Upon returning for their encore they didn’t play one last measly song (like most performers), but instead played three songs with so much pure energy it seemed that they might never leave the stage (I wouldn’t have been mad). The Bad Suns put on a spectacular visual show as well. Blue, red, and pink stage lights provided a backdrop to the Meow Wolf stage of neon house fronts and small knick knacks including neon pink horses, a glass bust of Cleopatra, and neon plants in vases. With one song to go, lead man Christo decided to add a more personal touch to the show by hopping off stage and singing half of his last song on the floor surrounded by the audience.
After he returned to the stage, he reached his hand out to his fans, giving high fives and shaking hands with anyone in reach.
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The Bad Suns have changed the face of indie rock. At past indie concerts I’ve seen, most bands barely acknowledge the audience and seem withdrawn from the crowd before them.
The Bad Suns were able to leave their audience happy and full of hope for upcoming albums and shows.
Colton Newman is a photojournalist for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at photoeditor@dailylobo.com or on Instagram @cnewman101.
