From the moment I stepped into 3rd and Lindsley, I was buzzing with excitement to see Sub-Radio as my first show with The Hustler. Both Sub-Radio and opener Moontower delivered a truly electrifying performance, celebrating their last night of tour with a bang. Sub-Radio specifically proved their talent as they experienced many technical difficulties throughout the night and handled every setback in stride.
The opener for the night was Moontower, an Indie-pop band hailing from Los Angeles. Moontower began the show with their songs “Better” and “Jaded,” and what they lacked in recognition, they made up for in energy. Through both songs, all three band members were dancing and jumping around the stage. The crowd fed off of this energy, and almost everyone in the venue was on their feet and dancing along.
After their high-energy start, Moontower’s lead singer Jacob Berger informed the crowd they were going to slow it down and began the band’s cover of “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None the Richer. This cover was followed by Moontower’s original song “Afterdark,” introduced by Berger as one of his favorites.
Moontower ended their set with the song “Bury Me.” The band asked everyone in the audience to turn on their phone’s flashlights and hold them in the air, creating a beautiful scene throughout the venue. Sub-Radio drummer Michael Pereira made a special appearance for this song, playing the drums alongside Moontower. The band finished their set to thunderous applause from the crowd before saying a final goodnight and walking off.
“Take care of yourself and take care of each other,” Berger said.
The crowd’s attention was pulled back to the stage as the theme song to the hit show “Friends” began to play, and Sub-Radio ran on stage just in time for the iconic clap. This extravagant entrance, however, was quickly overshadowed by an unplugged keyboard, causing the band to delay their first song as they waited for the cords to get fixed. Lead singer Adam Bradley noted the unfortunate technical difficulties and how they took attention away from the band’s fun introduction.
“As a drama queen, personally, I am annoyed as we had such a big, dramatic entrance,” Bradley said.
The band overcame their technical problems with humor and audience interactions, even playing an impromptu cover of “Wonderwall” by Oasis when an audience member jokingly suggested it. Once Sub-Radio began their planned set, they started with their songs “Eden” and “Wait a Minute.” The band’s third song, “Pink Lemonade,” is from their unreleased EP, which will come out in February 2024. Despite the song not being out, the crowd’s enthusiasm was electric, which did not go unnoticed by the band.
“We’ve heard some unkind things about Nashville crowds, that they’re boring and just stand around. Well, I don’t believe a word of it,” Bradley said.
The band continued their set, playing their songs “Waste Your Time” and “Flashback” before teasing that their two most popular songs were coming up next.
“If you could, and this is an industry term, lose your shit for the last two songs,” Bradley said.
And, I can say without a doubt, that the crowd delivered. The audience’s energy never faltered during the show and only rose for the end of the set. The crowd sang and danced to every song.
Sub-Radio may not be topping the billboard charts, but their amazing performance made me feel right at home with even the most diehard fans. If you ever get the chance to see them in concert, you’ll be sure to leave feeling inspired, elated and also a little exhausted from dancing the night away.
