“You’re going to the Granada?” queried my Uber driver, as I settled into the backseat of her surprisingly roomy Kia. “I just drove by and there’s a huge line of teenagers waiting outside to get in”, she proceeded to tell me. I felt my heart sag a bit, and a slight tinge of panic swept over me as I briefly pictured myself being trampled upon by hordes of Hot Topic-wearing, smartphone-texting, energy drink-chugging adolescents talking loudly and blocking my sightlines with their wild gestures and animated underage X-stamped hands. I flashbacked to my previous experiences with Best Coast. Sure, there were younger folks there, but I never felt an overwhelming need to flee or experienced shame over representing my mid-30s demographic. I simply jammed out to the sweet and soulful melodies, nodded in agreement to other folks my age, and appreciated the fact that the beer lines were shorter. As the Kia zipped its’ wheels through the evening traffic, and the theater marquee came into view, I silently hoped that the night ahead would unfold more along the lines of those prior engagements and less like the experience of being trapped inside a mall food court on the first night of summer vacation.
Turns out the worry was all for naught. Sure, the audience included a healthy gaggle of high school and college kids basking in the glow of offseason bliss, but surrounding me were all sorts of Dallas area music fans, some of whom even boasted enough grey hair and old school classic rock tour t-shirts to ensure that I was at least not THE oldest person at the bar. And the tension was also quickly lifted by opening act Bully, who used their 40-minute time slot to absolutely wallop the nearly full house with a frenetic and garage-rock infused set of tunes confidently anchored by frontwoman Alicia Bognanno’s punctuating yelps and screams.
On record, (their just released full-length Feels Like looks to be a candidate for this year’s forthcoming Best-of list) Bognanno’s lyrics weave an insightful and critical eye towards examining the doubts, dangers, and insecurities that accompany the process of maturing and aging. Live though, those sentiments get a bit overshadowed by the band’s force and you’re simply left to marvel at the emotions laid bare. Already gaining a generous buzz amongst the music industry, it won’t be long before Bully is headlining these same types of venues really soon. Plus, Bognanno gets credit for manning the band’s merchandise table throughout the remainder of the night, where she graciously counted cash, swiped credit cards, and happily posed for pictures with giddy fans.
Following a short intermission where the Granada Theater elected to forego their usual habit of listing upcoming shows on the stage’s LCD screens in favor of displaying live tweets from attendees (the millennial audience, y’all), Best Coast took the stage to roaring heavy metal entrance music and rapturous applause. They wasted little time kicking things into gear opening with 2012 fan favorite “The Only Place” and seguing right into “Heaven Sent” and “Fine Without You”, two of the stronger tracks from their latest album, California Nights. With this show taking place just a couple of days removed from singer Bethany Cosentino’s online missive to fans that offered insight into her more reserved stage presence, the pace was subsequently quickened and tunes brisked by with little lag or interruption.
All of their varying styles were on full display: the pop jangle of “Crazy For You” and “Fading Fast”, the 60s influenced stylings of “So Unaware” and “No One Like You”, and the grunge inflected rips like “When I’m With You” and “Feeling OK”. Years on the road have added a lot of sheen to their presentation. There’s less of the off-the-cuff giddiness that at one point was one of the most endearing qualities of the interplay between Cosentino and guitarist Bobb Bruno. With a bigger profile also comes a bigger budget and larger expectations, so now the show comes equipped with a tighter setlist, more kick in the amplifiers, and a few more roadies to help with the residuals. The band still sounds great and Cosentino’s voice in particular has grown stronger and more commanding by miles. However, bringing back a little more of that DIY ethos that they started with wouldn’t necessarily hurt. The spotlight shone brightest on Cosentino and the wind machines gusted ever so effortlessly through Bruno’s mane to the point that each song was staged like it was their spot on The Tonight Show. It’s a couple of arena rock moments that don’t quite gel with the spirit and vibe Best Coast has perfected up to this point.
But, on the other hand, despite the familiarity they’ve assembled, Best Coast is a band that is still growing. Cosentino is at the height of her confidence and she’s certainly paid her dues and worked her way into the adulation she’s garnering in each town she and her bandmates visit. They’re evolving into something more than they may have imagined five years ago and the process continues to be fun and oftentimes-as illustrated by the expanding palette displayed in the title track of their new album-exhilarating. By the night’s end, I’d long forgotten my hesitation and worry about the audience and simply locked into step with the sounds coming from the stage the way the best music is intended to be enjoyed. I even sent a few tweets as evidence.
