This past week I attended a Never Shout Never show in St. Louis at The Firebird. Let me just start off by saying NSN is incredible!…..I mean of course if you're into that whole "let's chill under the sun and talk about the little things" meditation. I was looking forward to this show in particular because I knew NSN was very easy going and that can be said for their music as well. There's sometimes nothing better than having that one artist who can just help you calm the hell down. *Perfect for students working through busy homework schedules especially might I add.*
The band had two opening acts: Front Porch Step and Nick Santino. Front Porch Step while not hiding his amazement at the opportunity to be able to perform in front of an actual crowd, was in all honesty quite surprising. He was personable in that he wanted his audience to understand the true meaning behind the songs he was singing. The songs themselves were full of emotion and well-written. He may have mentioned his mother just a bit too much (c'mon, man, you're not supposed to want your mom to be your only fan) but I enjoyed his energy and wouldn't mind seeing him open another show.
Nick Santino, a member of the former rock band A Rocket to the Moon, was definitely the better of the opening acts. Apart from his seemingly down-south charm and quirky yet attractive sense of style, his songs certainly found their way into the hearts of many of the audience members. He is extremely relatable and isn't afraid to crack a joke at his own expense. I can honestly say that his unique blend of country and rock complemented by a smooth, raspy tone is enough to make anyone weak at the knees. Beautiful!
Moving on to the main event, Never Shout Never did not disappoint with their Holiday Tour. There's nothing better than a bit of head bobbing and basic guitar picking to go along with the giant blow-up snowman prop in the background. The props related to previous projects by the band that true fans would surely understand which would make the experience even better. I must say that having a band that is comfortable enough to drink onstage and be a bit on the "off" side if you know what I mean ;) makes for one interesting night. Never Shout Never, particularly front man, Christofer Drew, has always had that special place in our hearts. Everyone has been a NSN fan at one point in their lives. For most of us near twenty-somethings, our NSN stage hit us hard at about age 16 with Chris' innocent, punkish charm (and oh man that ukelele!) and most of us fell off the bandwagon soon after that. Little did we know the NSN crew had so much more in store.
For those of us who stuck around, the sound of NSN has changed over the years but never disappointed. The Holiday Tour featured songs from nearly every album and a few festive tunes to get us in the Christmas spirit. The guys' charm and hilarious comments throughout the show meant that there was never a dull moment. Some of the songs were tweaked and remastered for the tour making everything a little more personal and fun. Not to mention that The Firebird was the PERFECT venue for this type of show. It was small enough so that everyone could feel some sort of closeness in proximity to the stage (some were even sitting on the edge of it). I highly recommend this venue for any show because it is the perfect way to feel personally connected to your favorite artists.
If you have ever thought about going to see Never Shout Never, all I can say is….DO IT! Whether it be on one of their smaller tours or maybe even Warped Tour 2014(hopefully!), NSN will not disappoint and will certainly put you in a great mood.
NEVER SHOUT NEVER HOLIDAY TOUR~AS TOLD BY MADS
Thanks for reading!
Never Shout Never:
Check out the band!
The NSN track I'm LOVING at the moment:
And something to get you in the Christmas mood:
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