Part of a smaller music venue’s most charming aspects is watching how quickly they fill up. When an artist rolls through with a following, lines stretch around sidewalks, and bodies pack into all the nooks and crannies.
On Friday, May 30th at RBC Deep Ellum, the air was alive with excitement as fans entered the establishment down a long covered walkway like a cattle shoot, spitting them out inside of a small outdoor space filled with merch booths, and just beyond that, what everyone was waiting for.
First to take the stage that night was a local band called Notions. With a sound reminiscent of Linkin Park with its rap verses and heavy screams that rip at the heart during the choruses. They truly set the tone for the night, and what’s more impressive is that they played their set and then immediately tore down their gear, preparing to run down the street to play a new show at a completely different venue. Props have to be given where they’re due, these boys mean business (if the bassist crowd-surfing as he played during their last song wasn’t enough evidence of that already).
With fans now fully geared up for the show, Melrose Avenue, hailing from Australia, took the stage to deafening cheers. Their popularity has very clearly followed them across the seas as the crowd in Dallas didn’t hesitate for even a second to sing along to their opening song, Fool and The Beggar. The 6 song set was all energy from start to finish, and for those who showed up having no clue who or what Melrose Ave are about, they certainly left with a new playlist to blast on their way home.
Potentially the monster entertaining (or rather amusing) part of the night was when The Funeral Portrait took the stage- specifically because lead vocalist Lee Jennings is well over 6 feet tall, and with The Word Alive having a raised platform at the front of the stage, the ceiling beams were a very near miss. The crisis was averted, though, all was well and the band went on to put on an incredible show. There were tears, and delighted laughter shared through the crowd. Fans hugged and danced, and the environment was one that felt a lot more like home than a room full of strangers.
If nothing else can be said of RBC, it can be said that they have a wonderful air conditioning system. While it may not be felt during a set, it was a welcome reprieve in the lulls between as cool air circulated over sweaty fans, very nearly vibrating with excitement as The Word Alive’s stage crew set up their lights.
The bars of LEDs lit up the room as the band took their places, and they wasted absolutely no time jumping directly into the deep end. The crowd moved in ways it hadn’t yet moved tonight, and bodies packed up tightly against the stage. It was a moment where the fans and the band all moved as one cohesive unit, and it was a marvel to see. They played old fan favorites, but by far the moment of the evening that brought out the most excitement was Telle (vocals) announcing that they would be playing Eyes Above, a single that had just been released that very day.
All in all, the vibes of the evening were immaculate to say the very least. Fans helped one another and made friends, the bands gave their all, and the staff of the venue were kind, courteous, and genuinely seemed as though they enjoyed their jobs. Such an atmosphere, one that is inviting and inclusive, feels exceedingly rare these days, and having found such a little safe haven on a Friday night was just what the doctor ordered for so many in attendance.
