Straylight Run

Lydia might or might not be one of the best live bands I have had the privilege to see live. The energy is great, and the musical abilities are mind-blowing. Straylight Run was equally decent.

First of all, I like Straylight Run, but I'm not super familiar with all their material. I for sure liked them enough to go see them. I thought they were excellent live, but there weren't very many people in the audience, and the ones that were present didn't really get into it at all. I thought everyone was going to be singing along to every song and I was going to be the only one singing along to only one or two, but basically no one was singing along (maybe one or two diehard fans). It made me realize how important it is to have crowd interactivity. I think it would have be an absolute blast had I seen them with a crowd that was into it. As aforementioned, I did think they were really good live; 4 stars for the performance, 2 stars for the overall experience.

One of the best shows I have ever seen. Amazing. They played all their wonderful old songs, not just the new ones (see setlist). It was so personal, because it was a small show, but that just made it more intense. I wish Straylight Run would come to a tour to Europe, so I could see them again.

Straylight Run was a blast from the past, but GOW owned the show. Why I drove 2 hrs for a 15 min set.

I went to this show to see Good Old War and they are amazing! Their music is magical. :)

I'd never been to a Straylight Run gig before, and I'm so glad I got to see this one! They were wonderful, and I had a lot of fun. The venue is small, and cozy, and the combination with a great band made for a fantastic evening.

The Middle East is already a wonderful place to see a band-- decent acoustics, a great atmosphere, pretty friendly staff, etc. All it takes is a solid group of performers to make an excellent night. The show on May 19th brought just that. The tour, headlined by Straylight Run, brought bands Lovedrug and Good Old War to Boston for the evening. Local band Fly Upright Kite started the night off the right way with a solid set of their emotion-filled rock. Good Old War brought incredible energy and fun to the stage; the trio's bouncing and dancing got the crowd very involved in their acoustic, folksy songs. Lovedrug put on a wonderful set as well, though the lead singer seemed unhappy with some of the crowd's response to his newer songs. The band's mix of piano with indie/alt rock was entrancing, though, and set the stage for Straylight Run's headlining set. Straylight Run's John Nolan, as usual, put on a wonderful show. His powerful lyrics, backed by the emotion of his voice, held the crowd's attention for the 60+ minutes the band performed. Straylight fans were treated to a surprise, as well, when former member Michelle DaRosa made an appearance and performed with John on several songs. The crowd responded well, and John's banter with the crwod made the show feel even more intimate. Overall, the night came together to form a magnificent show to be appreciated by fans of any one of the bands performing.