Daisy Grenade @ Irving Plaza - NYC
December 6th, 2023: Daisy Grenade @ Irving Plaza, New York, NY
Daisy Grenade - Photos Courtesy of: Chinaza Ajuonuma
Daisy Grenade, a dynamic bubblegrunge force hailing from the vibrant music scene of Brooklyn NY, brings a fresh and explosive energy to the stage. With the captivating vocals of Keaton Whittaker and Dani Nigro, the band marries raw emotion with catchy melodies, creating a sound that leaves a lasting impression. Daisy Grenade's performances are marked by infectious enthusiasm and a seamless blend of harmonies, showcasing their versatility in covers and unreleased gems. With a jumping, electric energy that electrifies audiences, Daisy Grenade is carving its path in the world of pop-punk.
Daisy Grenade brought an explosive burst of energy to Irving Plaza for the second night, delivering a performance that resonated with the crowd. The celebration kicked off with a special touch as the band, led by the dynamic duo of Dani Nigro and Keaton Whittaker, celebrated guitarist Erez Levin's birthday. The venue echoed with harmonies from both the band and the audience during the heartfelt rendition of the birthday song. The setlist featured a diverse range of hits, including a powerful cover of "King for a Day" by Pierce The Veil, during which Keaton Whittaker and the band sat on the edge of the stage, connecting intimately with the audience. Daisy Grenade also unveiled a new, unreleased gem titled "Skin," a testament to their evolving sound. Closing with the infectious anthem "Spring in the City," the band left the stage with the audience still buzzing from the jumping, electric energy that characterized their performance. Despite omitting "Got it Bad" from the setlist, Daisy Grenade's Night 2 showcased their ability to captivate and warm up the crowd, setting the stage for a memorable night with The Maine.
Unwound @ Irving Plaza - NYC
March 10th 2023: Unwound, Horsegirl @ Irving Plaza - New York, NY
fans at Unwound - Photos Courtesy of Edwina Hay
Olympia, Washington’s Unwound disbanded in 2002. This was around the time I first discovered their music and quickly became one of those bands who I really enjoyed but liked other acts such as Pixies, Bikini Kill, or Murder City Devils where I was either born too late to see them when they were active, or connected with their catalog right as they were disbanding and figured I would never see them live. Twenty years after their final shows, Unwound revealed they were performing again in July 2022. They announced a concert at New York’s Irving Plaza on Friday, March 10, 2023, which quickly sold out, and then two more shows at the same venue were added.
Friday night’s show began promptly at 8 PM with a performance by Horsegirl, the trio from Chicago that relocated to New York City. The group didn’t say much while on stage during their 45-minute set, but Penelope Lowenstein disclosed that they were excited when this show was first announced and long before they were invited to play, that they would have been in the audience with us too. Before performing “Forecast,” Penelope announced it was the first song they ever wrote in her basement at the age of 15. In addition to playing songs from their record Versions of Modern Performance, they also included a Guided By Voices cover in their set (“As We Go Up, We Go Down”).
For their first New York show in two decades, Unwound performed two sets. The first one began at 9:15 PM, followed by a 15-minute intermission, and resumed again at 10:20 PM. Their drummer, Sara Lund, asked before their fourth song how many people were supposed to see them at Bowery Ballroom in 2001 (they were scheduled to play on September 12, 2001), and not many people responded. She quickly modified the question by then asking who was born after 9/11/01 and dedicated their next song to the numerous young fans in attendance who qualified.
Unwound’s vocalist/guitarist Justin Trosper mentioned after intermission it was an honor to be here and when someone yelled out a song that they wanted to hear, he laughed and said they don’t take requests and that everything was pre-planned. He then dedicated the next two songs to their departed bassist Vern Rumsey, who sadly passed away in August 2020. Their current bassist is a longtime friend, Jared Warren of Karp, Big Business, and Melvins, plus Unwound now features Scott Seckington on guitar. With the show coming to an end at 11 PM, we all departed Irving Plaza in the cold rain, and I felt extremely grateful that I finally got to experience Unwound live after all these years.
Horsegirl
MAX @ Irving Plaza - NYC
November 26th 2022: MAX, VINCINT @ Irving Plaza - New York, NY
MAX - Photos Courtesy of Ann Storlie
“Young Pop God” MAX (Max Schneider) took over NYC’s Irving Plaza for the second of two sold-out hometown shows Saturday night.
VINCINT (Vincint Cannady) was the night’s opener, and he warmed up the crowd with his soaring voice and danceable tracks “Taste So Good (The Cann Song)” and “Hard 2 Forget.”
MAX began his set with an explosive energy that continued throughout the night as he played fan favorites “Basement Party,” “Colour Vision,” and “Blueberry Eyes” including the Korean rap verse originally done by SUGA of BTS in the single.
Growing up in the nearby Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, MAX spoke multiple times throughout the evening on how lucky he was to be performing in one of his favorite venues among his fans. A former Nickelodeon star (he starred in 2012’s How to Rock), MAX’s energy continued to inspire the crowd as he performed “Someday” from Rags - a Nickelodeon Original film where he was the lead; before performing more tracks and closing his set with his chart-topping hit “Lights Down Low.”
VINCINT
Starset @ Irving Plaza - New York, NY
Photos and words courtesy of Ana C Santos | December 4th 2021
It’s been over two years since STARSET was last in New York City. At the time, I remember leaving that particular show with such a buzz of excitement because the band felt like it was literally blasting into the stratosphere. A new album, Divisions, had just come out and the conceptually-driven band was poised to tour and expand its intriguing lore. And then the pandemic hit. Fast forward two years and a couple of months later, STARSET returned with its fourth studio album, Horizons and New York City was ready.
Playing in the newly remodeled Irving Plaza, STARSET blasted off with a symbiotic exchange of energy between the stage and the audience that felt purely electrifying. For the first time since I discovered them accidentally in another NYC stage in 2014, STARSET played as a full seven-piece ensemble - something that frontman Dustin Bates revealed had always been his vision. Clad in Mad-Maxian dystopian aesthetic for the first half of the show before donning their staple space suits, the band swept through an extremely well balanced setlist. While it naturally focused more heavily on new songs from 2019’s Divisions, and Horizons there was a helping of older stand out tracks like “Monster,” “Carnivore,” “Satellite” and the finisher “My Demons” to make veteran fans happy.
With a track record of incredible shows (which the band calls demonstrations), strong performances and an ever-growing fanbase invested in the sci-fi saga that has been unfolding over the last four albums (not to mention a novel and comic book), I’m looking forward to what STARSET has in store for us next.
Setlist:
01. The Breach
02. Where The Skies End
03. Infected
04. Carnivore
05. Let It Die
06. Trials
07. Manifest
08. Echo
09. Monster
10. Point of No Return
11. It Has Begun
12. Earthrise
13. Satellite
14. Devolution
15. For Whom the Bell Tolls
16. Ricochet
17. Die for You
18. My Demons
The Word Alive
Syd, Kari Faux, and DJ Kitty Cash @ Irving Plaza in New York, 10/09/2017
Kicking off her first tour as a solo artist, Syd (THE INTERNET, Odd Future) performed a sold out show at Irving Plaza in New York, NY. The concert began with a DJ set by Kitty Cash followed by a performance by Little Rock, AK rapper Kari Faux, and Syd taking the stage at 9:30PM.
Photographer: Edwina Hay
Don Broco + State Champs // New York, NY
Don Broco, State Champs, With Confidence -- Irving Plaza | New York, NY | 11 May 2017
Photos Courtesy of: Sara Feigin
