Photo courtesy of Sarah Cass.Equipped with patented folk charm, The Lumineers swept ASU students off their feet by filling the Marquee Theatre with sonic warmth on Sept. 28 night. However, the last song of the night was neither a Lumineers song nor an encore performed by the band alone; the group welcomed the opening band, Bad Weather California, back on stage to close the night with a collaborated cover of “The Weight” by The Band.
Bad Weather California deserved to come back on stage for the finale with its electrifying opening performance.
The Marquee Theatre has a dingy underground flair. There are no seats, but rather one declining concrete slab that coaxes people to gather as close to stage as they can. There are no theatrical spotlights, but rather six dim wall lights that coat the darkness with a pale yellow brush. The locale emits the vibes found in Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean attraction — it even has the same pleasant, musty aroma.
In the time leading up to the opening performance, concertgoers were speckled about the concrete, clustered in twos and threes. There were hipsters in flannel shirts and Ray-Ban Wayfarers. As in cafeterias, supermarkets and shopping malls, there was an indistinguishable background drone that occurs when many people talk simultaneously. The hum grew louder as more people arrived before show time. It stopped when Bad Weather California began its set.
As if lightning suddenly struck, the crowd cheered, then became silent with anticipation the moment Bad Weather California stepped out from behind the curtains and took stage.
The audience was dancing by the time the band played its third tune, “I’ll Reach Out My Hand.” The piece’s happy beach vibes made the shadowy Marquee feel like an outdoor venue in, well, California. As if the music wasn’t compelling enough, the band’s gyrating movements — its cheerful hops and sways — brought the fun out to play. Lights on stage were glowing deep purple and red alternatively, with occasional bursts of teal and deep blue shimmers.
The piece also showcased the band’s tremendous talent: Lead singer Chris Adolf sung the lyrics, “And I / I reach out my hands to you / And you / You reach out your hands to me” with a passion that matched the crimson glow on stage. Not only were the vocals impressive, but the instrumentals were phenomenal, especially the guitar solos that reverberated around the walls at breakneck speeds.
With all this energy, it was ironic how Adolf subtly introduced the band before the fourth tune. “I’m Chris. This band is called Bad Weather California. This next one’s a road song,” he said.
Truth be told, “Stand in My Sunshine” is indeed the perfect road song. It reveals the band’s diverse talents through its ability to combine a head-bopping bass groove and contemplative lyrics as it sings, “When you’re feeling all alone like there’s nobody there by your side / You can call me up.” It’s tempting to hop in a sedan and drive to the band’s home state of Colorado with this song playing through the speakers.
The lights on stage were limited to orange and red as Bad Weather California played a song about being a teenage girl in the ‘90s. Coincidence or not, the hues complimented the idea of youthful passion — particularly relevant to ASU students in the crowd who most likely grew up in the ‘90s.
"I want to sing a sweet one to you,” Adolf said as the keyboardist from The Lumineers joined the group on stage for “I’ll Sing Along.” The front row near the stage raised and waved their arms back and forth to “When this world is big and mean / Let your tiny voice rise up to the sky.”
The most crowd interaction took place during “Let It Shine,” when the crowd was invited to sing “uh uh-uh uh” and “oh oh-oh oh,” and even “na na na-na na na na-na.” It didn’t stop there. Audience chants of “na na-na na-na na-na na na-hey” and “oo-ee ah-ah ah” not only convinced more people to dance, they brought the whole crowd closer to the stage. Luckily, there were four chest-high fans in each corner of the room; the excited audience needed the chilled air.
Throughout the 40-minute opening performance, Bad Weather California members continually revealed their good natures as they kept promoting The Lumineers by prepping the audience for the headlining band. During the finale, Adolf kept chanting, “The Lumineers are next” to fans cheering. However, Adolf also chanted, “This is street level music.”
If by “street level music” Adolf means genuinely artistic music that thrives on pure talent rather than money or fame, then he was right: Bad Weather California represents street level music.
There is no wonder why The Lumineers invited them back on stage.
Reach the reporter at jconigli@asu.edu
