BØRNS with PHASES Concert Review
This concert was only $12. Seriously. You can barely even go to a movie for $12 these days. And for just $12, we really would have been okay with mediocrity, but the show was actually amazing.
Venue: Vinyl at Center Stage Atlanta
This our third time visiting Vinyl, and we’d venture to say it’s our favorite venue thus far. To read our first impressions, check out our dumblonde concert review.
Opening Act: The Vanity
Paige: This is so embarrassing, but there was a solid minute when The Vanity first came on stage that I thought the lead singer was Dave Franco. Once I realized my mistake, the reality set in that we were about to watch five guys make orgasm faces on stage for 30 minutes. It was surprisingly enjoyable…at least until I went home and looked them up on Spotify.
Laura: When they first started playing, I was sure I would hate them, but they actually weren’t half bad live. The guys definitely didn’t have the same level of comfort or confidence onstage of other acts we’ve seen, but they sounded decent. I’ve got to agree with Paige and say that their EPs on Spotify just aren’t even remotely as enjoyable as they were live.
Full disclosure: Combined, we had had two shots, two cocktails, and four pints of beer at this point, so our judgment was less than discerning. Sorry, The Vanity.
To add insult to injury, the lead singer’s (Dave Franco’s) mom and dad both retweeted our mention of them.
Middle Act: PHASES
Paige: I cede my allotted space here to Laura, who has far more opinions on them than I do.
Laura: So, I was, like, really into PHASES. I only briefly listened to them on Spotify prior to the concert, and other than their song “Silhouette,” which I strongly urge you to listen to, I wasn’t blown away. Then, they started playing at the concert, and they were fantastic.
Paige: Can’t say I shared that sentiment. I don’t regret missing their set when they opened for LIGHTS and The Mowgli’s. Moving on…
Laura: I immediately listened to more of their stuff the very next day, and when I looked them up, I learned that they’re made up of musicians from a bunch of other cool bands—Bright Eyes, Rilo Kiley, Phantom Planet—and I felt even more justified in my fangirling of them. They’re going on tour with Maroon 5 later this year, so I have an inkling they will be blowing up soon. Be on the lookout for them.
Headliner: BØRNS
Laura: I really, really liked BØRNS, but even my high level of enjoyment paled in comparison to Paige’s excitement. She can take the reins on this one.
Paige: Before I dive headfirst into a level of fangirling I usually reserve for the privacy of my own home, I want to make some respectable and critical points about BØRNS. He has this incredibly unique and special voice that I feared was not going to translate to a live show, but it totally did. Every song sounded the same, if not better than, his album.
Laura: Couldn’t agree more about his voice. I was shocked by how similar he sounded live to how his record sounds.
Paige: His androgynous voice coupled with his rather dreamlike lyricism make you feel like you’ve been transported into someone else’s acid trip and he’s your spirit guide. That might not sound like the ideal way to spend a Thursday night for some, but a no-risk drug experience is basically a life goal of mine. Anyways, he really is a special talent, and I think Laura agrees with me that 2016 is going to be a huge year for him.
Laura: Mark my words: He’s going to blow up. Hipster girls (and guys) everywhere will know his name.
Paige: Now to the unabashed fangirling. I basically had a sexual awakening watching him. He’s attractive to me in the truest sense of the word. His presence literally attracts me. Sigh. I’m smiling just thinking of that night.
Until the next commercial break,
Paige and Laura