The Royale had an intimate feel this past Thursday night. As each performer stepped up to center stage, the crowd swarmed into the center of the hall, closing in and giving the illusion of shrinking the size of the space. This leant itself to a closer experience between the artists and the audience, and allowed for more interplay on both sides.
Jena Rose came on as the first opener for Echosmith. At only age 17, she had the stage presence of someone well beyond her years. She was rocking out, dancing back and forth with such confidence in her set. Playing originals, “Loved,” “Sweet Love,” and “Paper Walls,” the artist had a spark and captivated the audience. She had a pop, singer-songwriter feel, but also an exciting electronic element with strong backtracks in her songs. Once she had finished performing and was offstage, a little girl came up and asked to take a picture with her, to which she happily agreed.
Following Rose came the band The Score. This band has over a million monthly listeners on Spotify and is best known for hits like “Unstoppable,” “Legend,” and “Revolution.” The second it took the stage, a rock concert began. The lead singer, Eddie Anthony, had an incredible swagger, clothed in a black leather jacket, accompanied by a glimmer in his eye. He led the band with such ease and took control of the performance. Anthony’s thunderous voice conquered every note and accentuating the importance of lines like, “here we go, here we go/it’s my turn to make history” and “a dreamer with the fever to be great was all I ever wanted.” Near the end of the set, Anthony gave some advice to the audience, telling everyone, “Just keep being yourself and keep being different.”
Once the Score left and Echosmith stepped onstage, the mood changed. There was a moment of recognition from the crowd and everyone was able to sing along to their favorite hits. Young children and adults alike were enjoying the band’s greatest hits.
Echosmith’s chemistry onstage was spot on. During its song “Goodbye,” it showed off some fun, front-facing salsa moves. The band members also rocked back on their heels and toes during one of their song’s electronic, instrumental solos. From the moment the band stepped out on stage, the bass player Noah Sierota was swinging along with his instrument swinging it back and forth, and letting his body move with the music. He looked like a vessel for the music and the life it gave off. While less free flowing, Sierota’s sister and lead singer, Sydney had some fun moves and hair flips. The playfulness and energy the whole band displayed was infectious. Audience members were taking cues from the band and really got into the music, singing along and trying to copy Noah’s dance moves.
The audience even heard a bit of the bassist Sierota on vocals. While the instrumentalist rarely ever sings, it is not for any lack of talent. While usually known for his flashy, bold personality, his voice was quite the opposite, sensitive and soft. His duet with Sydney showed off both of their vocal ranges and power. Always on pitch, the pair left nothing to be desired and really impressed the audience.
Although it was a strong, powerful force the band really made a point of making its show interactive to include its fans. It wasn’t singing at its fans, but for them. In one song about being loved, Sydney pulled out a bucket of flowers and started tossing them out to audience members. While she threw some randomly to cheering fans, she also made it a point to get one to a younger fan that couldn’t have been more than 7.
The band even pulled up an audience member to dance with Sydney. He looked absolutely starstruck and like he was having the time of his life, spinning a parasol and trying to mimic her moves. When asked how it felt afterwards he divulged, “Surreal…amazing…all of the words for amazing.”
While the band has had quite a few hits throughout the years, the group is especially known for its song “Cool Kids.” It ended the night with the hit, asking the audience to sing along the words if they had ever felt like they hadn’t fit in. In the middle of the song, lead singer Sydney breaks the song in the middle to tell the audience, “I want you guys to know 1. you are not alone and 2. you are so so so loved, especially by this band on this stage tonight.” After telling the audience this, she jumped back into the song, met with more enthusiasm from the crowd than before.
Echosmith will be touring around the United States until May 12.
Featured Image by Keith Carroll / Heights Editor
