Southern rockers perform latest hits and fan favorites at The Pageant
Blue October has never been afraid to talk about “the tough stuff.”
After releasing their sixth studio album “Any Man In America” on Aug. 16, the hard-hitting southern rock group Blue October has been touring the country in its wake. On Saturday, Oct. 1, they made their way to The Pageant, along with opening acts Ashleigh Stone and IAMDYNAMITE.
The Pageant was ready to host the southerners, as a small Texas flag hung above the stage lit by a single spotlight — a tribute to Blue October’s roots. An ominous black tarp hid their enormous, boxy set, perfectly offset by Stone’s hot pink piano.
Stone, a sultry young songstress, banged the keys on her hot pink piano with the fervor of Lady Gaga’s days as Stefanie Germanotta. She explained to the audience that one of her songs was about “quitting a job she really hated, and being poor for a while,” and complemented an incredible piano performance with vocals as powerful as Adele’s — except, the crowd didn’t have to hear about the same break-up “21” different times.
After Stone’s short, 25-minute performance, the indie rockers of IAMDYNAMITE took the stage and, for a two-man band, it was incredible how much noise they could produce.
IAMDYNAMITE commanded the stage with an effortlessly cool presence. Opening with their lead hit “Where Will We Go” from their latest album, “SUPERMEGAFANTASTIC,” drummer Chris Phillips encouraged audience members to clap along as guitarist and lead vocalist Chris Martin played through the songs bouncy, energetic riffs.
By their third song, IAMDYNAMITE had the crowd dancing and jumping up and down, mosh-pit style. Martin stomped around stage barefoot, belting out song after another in perfect harmony with Phillips.
“We get really f***ing sweaty up here, but we’re gonna hug everyone,” Martin said.
For their finale, Martin and Phillips played to a solid minute of strobe lighting. Phillips, with his drum kit, played a solo so incredibly loud, that it hardly seemed possible it could come from one musician.
The lights alternated between drummer and guitarist, with each playing so frantically, the light seemed to bounce off of them. At the song’s conclusion the crowd went wild and, when Martin later returned for the flip-flops he left onstage, he was greeted with the same enthusiasm.
Immediately after IAMDYNAMITE’s exit, the stage crew went to work unearthing Blue October’s massive, tarp-covered set. The crowd thickened and, when the lights changed, true Blue fans came alive.
Lead by the mohawked, heavily eyelined Justin Furstenfeld, Blue October speaks to a generation with the power behind tackling self-hate, divorce and, most prominently, Furstenfeld’s bi-polarism. Chart-topping tracks like “Hate Me” from the band’s 2006 album “Foiled” deliver a raw, simple message: “Hate me today/ Hate me tomorrow/ Hate me for all the things I didn’t do for you.” The message behind “Any Man In America,” though, hits closer to home, as Furstenfeld spoke of the birth of his daughter, Blue.
“Holding a new baby in your arms . . . is the best feeling in the entire world,” Furstenfeld said.
With “Any Man In America,” Furstenfeld struggles through divorce and subsequent custody battles for parenting rights to Blue. He wore his heart on his sleeve that night at The Pageant, sitting on a green felt chair facing the crowd, saying, “Life’s a crazy b****.”
Through crowd favorites, such as “Into the Ocean” and “Jump Rope,” fans threw up their hands in support, singing along with Furstenfeld. Gigantic lights cast a glow— blue, of course— over a sea of hands during “Into the Ocean,” as the crowd made waves moshing and dancing on the floor.
The “up/down” stanzas of “Jump Rope” got the crowd bouncing, as Furstenfeld gushed about writing the song for his daughter.
When the time came for “Hate Me,” Furstenfeld sat, facing the audience, as the iconic voicemail message from his mother, also heard in the music video, played over the speakers.
By the chorus, he turned the microphone over to the crowd, as hundreds shouted the song’s gritty, gutsy lyrics with all the passion in the world.
Between songs, Furstenfeld and the men of Blue October had little to say, perhaps because all of their thoughts, words and emotions were poured into their music.
Together with the heartfelt performances of Stone and IAMDYNAMITE, Blue October’s stop in support of “Any Man In America” was truly unforgettable.
