I had been looking forward to this show for months. I’m at shows several times a week usually and see a tremendous amount of live music. And I love it. But this show was one to which I looked forward with a special kind of excitement. Kurt Vile released one of my favorite albums of the year so far, which you can read about here. It was a noteworthy bonus that Sonny and the Sunsets opened the bill, since his most recent album also found its way into my heart.
Arriving just after Sonny started, I found the outdoor stage of the Mohawk surprisingly packed for an early show. Sonny and the Sunsets perform with a nonchalant coolness and banter with wry wit. After descending from the stage to wander among the crowd of fans, Sonny blamed what he called bad dancing on his jeans sticking to his sweaty legs and the ribs he ate at Stubb’s before the show. He followed his excuses up with, “I know, James Brown doesn’t complain.” The band rocked through a selection of songs old and new, and even got talked into one more song after saying their goodbyes.
The floor space and overlooking balconies were completely crowded by the time Kurt Vile took the stage to soundcheck. As I glanced backward, I mused about the fact that the show sold out with the same laid-back coolness as Kurt Vile himself possesses. Fittingly, fans and Vile were both mellow and relaxed all night, although the band’s tight performance and Vile’s meditated focus possessed the ability to engross and transfix concertgoers. The setlist consisted of a good number of tracks from Vile’s most recent (and did we mention amazing?) Wakin’ on a Pretty Daze, intriguingly performed in album sequence as well several beloved songs from older albums Childish Prodigy and Smoke Ring for My Halo.
It takes a special kind of artist to sell out a club on a Tuesday night. Kurt Vile and Sonny and the Sunsets hold a place as one of the strongest two-band bills in recent memory. Vile will return in November for Fun Fun Fun Fest. If you haven’t gotten tickets yet, then you must not have seen the lineup. Be there, Austin.
All photographs © Bryan Parker and Pop Press International. Click any image to open in slideshow viewer.
