Top act stops at Spicolis

By Macen Adams

As lights dimmed and classic rock played on in the background, Spicolis, a little bar and grill off of University Avenue, was getting ready for a big show last weekend.

On Saturday, Sept. 16, Highly Suspect, a Grammy-nominated band, was the main event for the night. They’re known for their hard, gritty blues rock songs like “Lydia” and “Bloodfeather.” As the doors opened at 6 p.m. fans were allowed to get accustomed to everything while they waited for the band that was running late to the venue.

By 6:30 p.m., Spicolis was already almost full. People were trying to squeeze tightly together and trying to get the closest to the front of the stage to see the band very well. By 7:30 p.m. the floor was crammed, and everyone was waiting for the night to kick off.

Opening the show was a band known as Strange Relations, a somewhat known band that plays experimental punk rock. Some people lost interest and some decided to stay and get to see what the band had to offer. Someone announced at the concert that Highly Suspect wasn’t due on for another hour or two. Strange Relations played on, and people who seemed to enjoy the more laid back tone to their music stayed and talked with others.

As Strange Relations came to a close, people were talking about how awesome Highly Suspect was. A few people were talking about seeing them at a music festival and how great they were. One older lady brought up how great the band was with their fans. She went on about how great and attractive the lead singer, Johnny Stevens, is. The band has this term “MCID,” my crew is dope. They’re talking about everyone out there that supports what they do; they’re a part of the crew that cares for each other.

Another 30 to 40 minutes went by until the lights went totally dark and Highly Suspect walked in from the back gardens shaking people’s hands and high fiving whoever was close. As they got on stage, they started off the night with one of their most popular songs “Bloodfeather.” The crowd was going wild. They kept playing hit after hit from their most popular song “Lydia” to some of their other songs like “Claudeland” and “Bath Salts.”

Highly Suspect didn’t fail to deliver. The whole time they played, the crowd was in a frenzy. Different colors flashed from the lights above and beat upon beat, the crowd was happy with what they were listening to, but sadly the band only had a limited time to play sadly. They had to head back on the road for their next stop on their tour.

After around 11:30 p.m, they started to close their show by telling the crowd about their new album coming out on Nov. 18. It’ll be titled “The Boy Who Died Wolf.”

As the concert came to a close, it may have not been too long, but Highly Suspect didn’t disappoint. The venue may have not been big, but Highly Suspect made due, and they killed their performance.