We were lucky enough to catch two shows on the “Defy the Sun Tour” including the very last one on 11/27 at Amos’ Southend in Charlotte. This has really been just the ultimate line up! I love all of these bands individually, so getting to see them all together was definitely a treat.
This entire show, being the last one on this tour was a party beginning to end and they really made sure everyone was involved. It was honestly like family; each set was something special. They did pull a special prank on every band that night starting with Kirra. The rest of the bands quietly gathered and snuck to the stage. They came out with hundreds of clothes pins and were pinning them to everyone and everything on the stage. Apparently, this came from a running joke through the tour where Gabriel Parson of Kirra was pinning everyone, so they decided to join together and pay him back.
In the middle of Lullwater’s set, the other bands popped out from behind the stage carrying Christmas decorations. They had Santa hats & beards, reindeer antlers and of course could not finish decorating without spreading containers filled with ornaments all over the stage and band members.
Otherwise came out and you’d almost forgotten all the crazy things that happened, unless you glanced around to notice a few lingering clothespins and Christmas ornaments still on the stage. Otherwise have an awesome fan base, so the crowd was really into it. The guys even invited Lullwater’s drummer Joseph Wilson up on stage to sing a song with them. It seemed like maybe the pranks were over for the night, but of course they weren’t. Otherwise had barely gotten into their tune “Soldiers” before other bands ran out onto the stage carrying Nerf guns shooting soft darts and balls all over the place. In a hilarious turn of events here, Adrian Patrick actually slipped by everyone and decided to latch onto the balcony. He climbed from the stage and over top to the balcony. This shocked everyone and they hardly knew what to do.
Blacktop Mojo has an incredible way of managing to kick an already amazing show into an even higher gear. These guys are so full of energy and each member really brings their own uniqueness to the stage. I do want to note that I saw them twice in one week on the same tour and they managed to make each show a bit different. It was absolutely worth it! They made a point to not only invite the other bands on stage with them for different parts of their show, but even the crew members on tour as well. If you like to play, they want to give you the chance.
There’s always a part of their set where the band exits and Matt James will perform solo or as a duet with someone else. He invited a crew member on stage to play and they started a really amazing cover of the Elton John classic “Tiny Dancer.” Adrian Patrick was invited back on stage to sing as well. Shortly after, the rest of the bands ended up joining creating a giant sing along. What better song for this, right? We had a total “Almost Famous” moment there. It was really great!
After everyone exited and the rest of the band rejoined on stage, they got back into playing more tracks from Under the Sun. That’s when everything went crazy again. For a final time of the night, the rest of the opening bands decided to come busting out on stage. This time, they were carrying piles of paper and toilet paper. It started off, you know, with the guys just throwing it around and seeing who could hit the rafters to get it really streaming everywhere. Then, they quite meticulously wrapped up band members while they kept right on playing.
The entire night was absolutely a blast! It’s such a treat to have so many great bands who are also genuinely great people. Yes, everyone joined together after to clean up the mess. They also hung out with the fans, who (like myself) felt pretty lucky to also be included and treated like friends as well.
Review & Photos by I’m Music Magazine Photographer Daphne McKinney
