Christmas is honestly the most chaotic time of the year. With shopping, the end of school for some students, spending time with family, and trying to get all your things on your to-do list checked off before the big day. With all the running around we all do, we forget to try and enjoy it. That is one of the reasons why there are always so many shows leading up to Christmas. I happened to have two in one weekend; this one on Saturday and another one on Sunday. Needless to say, I was glad I had my shopping done.
Eternal Boy had a holiday show on Saturday December 22nd at the Smiling Moose, something they seem to do every year. They have some of their good friends open up the show and just give everyone who comes a great night full of music. This one was different because the band allowed those who bought tickets, to pick what songs would be on the setlist, which was a very cool idea.
I was only at the show for two of the five bands, but I did listen to the others from afar. Eternal Boy had Bridges, Harbour, Keep Flying, and Look Out Loretta open up their holiday show.
Look Out Loretta is a local pop/punk band who you’ve likely seen me post about before. They have a really great sound that appeals to the upper end of the millennial generation. I always have fun attending their shows. Recently, Josh (lead vocals/guitarist) has come to my school twice this last semester to play acoustic sets and it’s a very different feel, which is cool to see. I’ve only ever seen them play live full band sets, and seeing an acoustic one was really cool because we got to hear the inside scoop on the different stories behind each song… most of which were about heartbreak. Anyway, back to the holiday show. They did great, as per usual. They played hits such as ’31’ and ‘Wknd Gtwy’, two of my favorites. People always seem to love to mosh to their set and being a photographer and it being a very small venue, I don’t like it, lol. But it just goes to show that they put on a good show each and every time. They don’t have shows very often, but I suggest coming out to one whenever you get the chance to, especially if you love pop/punk music.
A few bands later we had Eternal Boy. Last I’d seen them play was Four Chord Music Festival 5, back in August. Well, I see Rishi (lead vocals/guitar) all the time since he works at my college. People ask me all the time, from both sides, whether or not its weird to see him in an academic setting and then a music setting, and honestly it has been so long that I don’t even notice a difference anymore. He’s professional, with his younger side showing itself a bit of the time, on both ends. He enjoys everything he does from teaching to playing music and it’s such a cool thing to get to experience all of it.
It was cool to be back seeing EB at the Smiling Moose because three years ago, this past September, when I first started college, I saw them on the same stage for the first time. I got to shoot the show and was so proud of my first jump shot. It’s so crazy to see how far I’ve come since then.
Recently, EB released a single called ‘Promise’, with profits benefiting the Tree of Life Foundation after the tragedy a few months ago. It’s an acoustic song and definitely one of their most heartfelt. They didn’t play it at the show, but Rishi made a point to say how amazing it was for all of us to congregate to the show despite everything that has happened. EB played some very old tunes, some of which they had never played live before. Fans came and sang their hearts out and did some moshing and crowd surfing like mad, as well. Made for some great shots, I will say. The crowd knew every word and for a local band, that is so cool to see. Despite the room being ridiculously hot (seriously, it was so hot… I was relieved when I got behind the stage away from all the body heat.. except I was where the lights shined on the band so it wasn’t much better), the show was fantastic as expected. Go see an Eternal Boy show as soon as you get the chance.
I got some really cool photos so check some of them below, and you can find the rest on my Flickr page!
Abigail McNatt Photography 