Concert Review – The Queers @ The Ritz 2/17

Concert Review – The Queers @ The Ritz 2/17

By, Yasmin Hayden

I was not expecting any of the opening bands to stand out to me, given that I was only there to see The Queers perform, but the people’s love for the opening acts was evident in the room by their encores and energy given. To be honest, I did not know a thing about the opening acts, or the main perform   ance for that matter. My boyfriend is a big fan of pop punk and The Queers, so I decided to learn a couple of songs beforehand and tag along for the ride. Performances such as Tess & the Details were one of the opening bands that really brought the energy into the room and set the mood of the main act.

What I liked most about the show was how all the different bands presented themselves around the same genre, but individually. Tess & the Details, the band that really stood out to me the most, had a sort of rockabilly style that included cheetah print and 80s haircuts. The old school punk really caught my attention as they shredded on their instruments and projected their raw vocals that shook the speakers surrounding the entire crowd. I was impressed by their originality, and my attention was never averted from them either. I also interviewed them after, and it was interesting learning about how the band formed and the songs they produced over the pandemic.

I felt exhilarated at the fast pacing and bubblegum punk aspects that tied into The Queers’ performance, which REALLY spiked the energy in the dimly lit venue. The excitement and open space in the room encouraged people to form pits and jump around all over the place. I would argue that there was never a dull moment that occurred, and that the levels of energy would only heighten after each song. I would say that they really made use of the strobe lights and their other equipment as well. Also, in between songs, they would talk about the rocky preparations for the show and get friendly with the crowd from time to time, which was engaging.

I loved attending this show, and it was interesting to see the diversity in style among the crowd, even though the majority of them were older. This encouraged me to explore more of the local pop-punk bands in the area and in general. I would recommend listening to the bands I have mentioned on Spotify if you are into fast-paced songs and a bit of ruckus.