Local Natives in Baton Rouge, LA
So last night I attended the Local Natives concert at the Varsity Theatre in Baton Rouge, LA. I have heard sooo many great things about this band since some of my friends saw them at Bonnaroo in 2011. So, I wanted to check out their live performance for myself. I had heard a little bit of their new album “Hummingbird.” But, I was more familiar with their older one, “Gorilla Manor.”
By the end of the show, I could totally see why everyone raved about this band’s live performance. First of all, this LA-based group’s harmonies were absolutely killer. And on top of that, they had so much energy and looked like they were having so much fun. This was confirmed when they started comparing our concert to the one in New Orleans just the night before, opening for Kings of Leon. They said they enjoyed smaller shows like ours because they could really connect with and feel the energy from the crowd. The energy was tangible. The whole place was a sauna. But that didn’t stop them, and the crowd, for going absolutely crazy when the songs really started speeding up. And I for one was so happy with the great mixtures of songs from both albums.
I definitely cannot forget to commend their opening act, Moses Sumney. When this guy came out I thought he was just one of the sound guys. But then, he started playing and was absolutely magical. With no one or nothing up there with him besides his guitar, Moses used various loop pedals to create these fantastic rhythms and beats with just his voice and his hands. The whole crowd would just stand there in silence and watch in fascination as he built these backup beats and kept layering on top of them. You should definitely check him out!
I was fortunate enough to meet the guys of Local Natives after their show, and they were so incredibly nice. They told us about their crazy first experience on Bourbon Street the night before, and about how their tour’s been and what’s in store. They were super cool and really kept emphasizing the fact that they much prefer smaller, more intimate shows. Plus, they said they would love to come back to Baton Rouge, and I hope they meant it because I would definitely see Local Natives again and recommend that you do too!
Check out all of their seriously awesome tunes here! I promise you’ll like them! I definitely hope I’ll be able to catch them in concert again!
