Hear Tonight. Always a pleasure to shoot them. It’s been some time! This show was a last minute request and I was certainly looking forward to it! Being that it was their 4 year band-a-versary, it was an iconic show for the Pittsburgh Indie/Alternative/Rock band. They’re the ones, if you remember, that I’ve said are a fantastic listen with the windows down and the volume up in the summertime. Or, just a warm place. They put the sounds of summer in to real, beautiful music, A modern-day Beach Boys. Ugh, I just love them. Seeing them play is always a good time. Ok, I’ll stop preaching about them and get to my write-up.
The show was held at the Hard Rock Cafe in Station Square, one of my favorite venues in Pittsburgh… mostly because there’s food and I have free reign for different angles around the stage.
So first on stage we had Grayson DeWolfe, whom if you remember, I shot at Hear Tonight’s album release show last year. Last time, he had an acoustic set and this time he played a full band show. And by full band, I mean him on 3 different instruments and his drummer. He brought along these lighting pieces that resembled umbrellas and they were pretty cool. Now, the semi-complicated thing about this show was it was a stop on the Marina City / Grayson DeWolfe tour featuring PHANGS. So they all pretty much had to leave for the next stop on tour right after this show. He was awesome, like before. But seeing the full band set was really cool. He puts on a great show even just with himself and a guitar but the full band set just adds a whole new element. So if you’re into indie pop/rock music, go check him out.
Up next was PHANGS, from Nashville, Tennessee. PHANGS, or who likes to be called by his real name which is Jake, is considered pop, via his Facebook page, but I would say he’s more indie pop or synth-pop. He was amazing. I had heard of him via my friend Ashby, whom had become good friends with him and told my boyfriend and I to check him out. When we knew that he was going to be opening for Hear Tonight at this show, we were psyched. It was kinda cool to be shooting a show where I was excited to see an artist I hadn’t seen before. That doesn’t happen too often. He is like a one man The 1975. You could listen to any song on his Spotify and immediately be able to agree with that. It was just him and his drummer on stage and, not including his current fans who were there, he kind of shocked everyone. He’s extremely talented. He’s awkward on stage, since he doesn’t really know what to talk about, but I honestly feel like that makes him that much more likable and relatable. A really nice artistic element to his set was this huge light backdrop of fangs. It made the photos that much cooler. So, if you’re into The 1975 or music like theirs, you will love him. I highly recommend checking him out.
Next on the Hard Rock stage was Marina City, an alternative pop band from Chicago. You may have heard or seen this name before because they’re almost always touring. I know I had heard of them before for that reason. The lead singer looks like a mix between Matty Healy and Corey from Mainland, lol. But he’s wild. He was all over the place on that stage. The crowd was going crazy and singing and dancing along with them. I really liked their sound and stage presence, so I was impressed by them. Being that this was a stop on their tour, it was cool to see what a full-blown set looked like for them. So if you’re into alternative pop, such as The Stolen, A Summer High, and Broadside, you’d like them.
Last, but certainly not least, was Hear Tonight. This being their 4 year band-a-versary celebration, it was a big one for them. To have friends, family, and fans there was very special and you could tell they put their all into this show. Nick, the bassist, I noticed was singing along to each and every word and it was so awesome to see. Each member had passion in their performances and that is a very special thing to see. Shane, the lead singer, gave it his everything and got the crowd singing and dancing along with them. I just absolutely love seeing them perform. They are always just as amazing as the last time I saw them. They get me hyped, and feeling like it’s summer (even though it was 40 degrees outside). I just have nothing but great things to continue to say each and every time I see them play. I shot them for the first time about a year ago at La Roche’s Spring Concert and even back then I knew there was something special about them. The way the crowd reacted whenever they were playing was different than any other band that night. And Monday night, I felt as confident about them as I did back then. They are going places, let me just say. So if you’re into the beachy type music that makes you really feel like it is summer 24/7, go listen to them. You may find a new obsession. 😉
I took some really great shots that night and I featured some of my favorites from the night, below! Check out the rest on my Flickr!
Abigail McNatt Photography 