Bad Suns, Charlotte NC
Bad Suns Apocalypse Whenever tour. October 27th, 2022. Neighborhood theater in NoDa, NC. Openers Last Dinosaurs & Quarters Of Change.
Formed in 2012, Bad Suns is an indie rock, indie punk, and post-punk band hailing from Woodland Hills California. Currently at 1,825,517 monthly listeners on Spotify. Cardiac Arrest is their biggest hit to date sitting at 103,356,801 million streams. They have gained a lot of momentum from this single. In an interview with LPR, Christopher Bowman said “I grew up with a lot of world music playing in the house. When I was 10, I started getting heavily interested in the guitar, and my dad began introducing me to his records from the 70s and the 80s. Initially, Elvis Costello, then to The Clash, The Cure, and so on,” he brings this all together with great vocals and excellent guitar riffs.
Bad Suns had the stage lit up all night long. Christopher had the crowd in motion, swaying back and forth and keeping the whole venue engaged throughout the show. Belting out danceable songs like Heaven is a place in my head or bangers like Cardiac Arrest that had the crowd screaming at the top of their lungs. His stage presence was energetic and charismatic, as he was dancing all over the stage. His voice was great to hear live, every high note was hit perfectly.
Their production was good for a smaller venue. The stage lights were great, they did very well with mixing the lighting to fit the songs properly. They had a plain white backdrop but had a really cool big metal sun sign sitting behind the drummer that was lit up by lights of all different colors throughout the night.
Going to the neighborhood theater is always a fun time. Inside there is not a bad seat in the house, this venue can fit 600. The beers are cheap, and the bar is never too packed to wait for a beer. The merch table is easy to get to. The bathroom lines are never busy.
In this area, there are a lot of great places to get food and drinks before or after the show. My favorite is Jack Beagles, a small bar one block away. Jack Beagles has great food and cheap drinks. The Hawaiian Wrap is top-notch with a side of Chili Fries. The beer selection is and they always have live music in the back on a small outdoor stage. Other notable places are Sabor, Cabo Fish Taco, The Blind Pig, and Protagonist Brewery.
Overall I give this show a 7.3. It was a fun time with great energy in the room. Bad Suns are a band I would see again live.
