Sylvan Esso has become synonymous with a festival band for us. This was literally the first time we’d seen them in an indoor venue for a full set. Guess what? It was still lit. Honestly, maybe even more so than an outdoor, midday festival slot.
We were trying to continue celebrating my birthday (by now you all know we are all about multi-day celebrations) but honestly, Son Little the night before might have knocked us off our game a bit. (SIDE NOTE: That was flat out an incredible show at Zbar – I’ll be keeping it in mind for our end-of-year posts for sure. A cool fact: members of Sylvan Esso, The Head and the Heart, and Helado Negro were all in attendance too. All I can say: game knows game, that was apparent. Son Little’s new album is REALLY good and I highly recommend it. I’ve been told I’m a sucker for R&B/soul artists…the show brought me to life and was the perfect finale to my actual day of birth.) We were not as wound up as the rest of the crowd, but it was impossible to not have a great time.
Back to it though, Sylvan Esso filled the eff out of Mercury Ballroom. And every single person there was very engaged in what was happening on the stage. First, folks were dressed to the nines, pulling out their best ‘fits for the day. I personally wore a cut off top with sparkles on it, so there’s that. People were fully lubricated (from drinking and throwing beer) to sing their little hearts out and jump up and down at a fast pace. There were groups of people ranging from couples, to double dates, to girl squads, with all races, genders, sexualities, etc…represented. I think that this wide variety of humans speaks to how universal Sylvan Esso is. A lot of folks can connect with some piece of their music. If it is the girl power of Amelia (fucking queen) or Nick’s unabashed passion in his DJing, something clicks for most.
I’ll back these peeps for as long as they continue to jam. Thanks a solid birthday part 2. If I wasn’t my best, I promise I’ll be better next time.
-Aubrey
Full photo set >> here or click on the photo below!
Live Music Louisville 