The Red Butte Garden Outdoor Concert Series has always been a summertime favorite for many residents in the Salt Lake area. Holy Child and Passion Pit started off the series on a cool summer night to a sold out crowd.
Led by lead singer/songwriter, Liz Nistico and percussionist, Louie Diller, The LA-based Holy Child describes their self-proclaimed “brat pop” as a genre that focuses just as much on their rebellious lyrics as it does on entertainment. The band seemed focused on entertainment at their Red Butte show, as the band did not speak to the crowd about any social issues. Nevertheless, the crowd enjoyed their presence and were dancing and singing to their catchy tunes.
Nistico had a calm demeanor when performing their opening song before taking off her jacket and slowly becoming more energetic. By the third song, she had already kicked off her golden high-heels and was dancing, jumping and running all over the stage in a style even more erratic than Axl Rose. Nistico was taken aback by the crowd’s positive reaction. Yet, it didn’t take long for her to get used to it or to take advantage of their enthusiasm.
“How many people think this band is awesome?” Nistico asked the crowd, who responded with a loud cheer.
Their debut album, “The Shape of Brat Pop to Come,” is due for a June 2 release. Some people may actually be more familiar with Holy Child than they think. An instrumental version of their first single off their forthcoming album, “Running Behind.” was used in the commercial for the Apple Watch.
They ended their set list with a “party song” called “Happy With Me.” The band thanked the crowd for their participation and accomplished their goal of getting the audience ready for Passion Pit.
Passion Pit is an indietronica group formed in 2007. Hailing from Massachusetts, they released their first EP, “Chunk of Change” in 2008 and their first album, “Manners” in 2009, which charted 51 on U.S. billboards. Their follow-up album, “Gossamer,” was released in 2012 and charted number two on both U.S. Rock and U.S. Alternative. They are currently on tour to promote their recent album, “Kindred.”
Passion Pit’s setlist was evenly divided amongst their three albums. After their final song, “Take a Walk,” the crowd wanted more, so the band came back to perform their debut single “Sleepyhead.”
Unlike Holy Child, Passion Pit did not interact with the crowd much, only checking in on the crowd a few times throughout the night. They did not even introduce the members of the band, although this is possibly due to the fact they were on a tight schedule with a 10 p.m. curfew. The crowd didn’t seem to mind, as they were dancing and jumping throughout the entire concert. Some even pulled out lighters during their performance.
It was quite refreshing seeing a crowd into the music and jumping rather than standing still watching it through their phone screens.
@ChronyArts
