For Band of Silver and Echosmith, music is a family affair.

Siblings Alex, Evan and Avery Silvernagel from Nashville-based Band of Silver joined Lostboycrow (Chris Blair) in an epic opener for Echosmith at The Basement East on Oct. 13. The downbeat snuck up on everyone in the room with bright lights and dramatic riffs, but when it did, everyone fell into a shocked silence and turned their attention to the stage. The opening song was Lostboycrow’s “Angelina,” an upbeat indie rock tune that provided the perfect opportunity for the three guitarists to get into their groove. 

This opener was the group’s first time publicly playing together as a band, but you wouldn’t know it by listening to them. Their chemistry was obvious, helping them come together to create a young but cohesive sound that’s similar to a mix of Rex Orange County and One Direction. They had a childlike excitement for their work, and it certainly came through in their music.

“We’re having fun,” Lostboycrow said, relishing his time on stage. “So much to say and so much to play, so little time.” 

In that spirit, Lostboycrow announced the release of his next album, which will come out on Dec. 9. 

The band then launched into “The World’s Always Been Ending,” a somewhat pessimistic song that they somehow managed to make sound carefree. It made you feel like if the world ended right after that song, everything would be okay. It was the type of music that captured your attention and made you want to sway to the beat, whether you previously knew the song or not. 

Next up was “Santa Fe,” the titular track of an album that Lostboycrow wrote simply because he wanted to “make an album with some friends.” Its easy guitar pulse echoed throughout the venue, truly transporting the audience to a different place and perhaps an easier time. 

One of my personal favorite songs played was “November Sleep,” which was fitting given the timing of the concert. During this song, Lostboycrow dismounted the stage and came down into the front of the crowd asking them, “Can I hang out with you guys for a second?” as if they were his old friends. The lyrics of the song matched this sense of familiarity, reminiscing on past relationships and old homes while looking forward to exploring new ones in the future.

When Echosmith, another sibling band, took the stage, it was nearly an out-of-body experience for the audience. The musicians appeared as silhouettes dancing across the stage, accompanied by ambient color-changing lights and a deafening instrumental beat. Echosmith opened with “Gelato,” their newest single released barely a week ago. For the first of many times, lead vocalist Sydney Sierota invited the audience to take part in the fun she was having, asking them to wave their hands to the music.

Echosmith’s appearance in Nashville was the opening night of “The Hang Around Tour,” their first tour in over two years. They were absolutely ecstatic to be on stage in front of a crowd again. When the band played “Diamonds,” Sierota reveled in the spotlight, spinning an umbrella and having the audience sing some of the lyrics with her. Once the song ended, an audience member held up a phone screen that read “That song saved me my senior year of high school.” Sierota replied graciously, “I love that, thank you so much!”

Sierota masterfully made herself real and relatable to her audience. Before performing the group’s unreleased song, “Hindsight,” she told the story behind it, including her experience recently starting therapy and learning how to cope with hard memories in retrospect.  

The highlight of the concert was Sierota’s introduction to “Tell Her You Love Her” when she prompted the audience to think of loved ones and asked a few people about their answers.  A woman who thought of her mom was invited on stage along with her mother who sat beside her. The mother-daughter pair was recorded as the audience showed their love. Echosmith transitioned seamlessly from “Tell Her You Love Her” to the classic 1977 hit “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac, and the audience went wild. 

The crowd especially loved the 2013 hit “Bright,” a song that Sierota said reminds her of weddings and falling in love. Some other fan favorites included “Take My Breath Away” from the movie “Top Gun” and “Hang Around,” the namesake of Echosmith’s tour. 

Of course, before leaving Nashville Echosmith performed their arguably most famous song—“Cool Kids.” It was a mixture of the original “Cool Kids,” released in 2013, and their latest spin on it, “Cool Kids (our version).” The song was a perfect conclusion to opening night—a memory of Echosmith’s first album and a testament to the progress they have made in the nine years since then.