The concerts keep on rolling in and I am not mad about it! Last night I had the pleasure of catching Bear Hands at one of my favorite Cleveland venues, the Grog Shop.
This intimate venue holds approximately 300 people max, so there’s not a bad vantage point to be had! I was relatively close to the stage, and being short, my view was luckily not blocked by any tall people – win! Another win for this show was that there were only two performers (something I appreciate on a Sunday when I’ve got work the next morning).
First up was a band based out of Los Angeles, Irontom. I’ve seen this band numerous times, mainly opening for AWOLNATION since they share guitarist, Zach Irons. He’s insanely talented, so I understand the demand for this man! Irontom are so unique with everything from vocals to lack of bass guitar to keys. The lack of bass sounds were filled effortlessly by the keyboard, and I was loving the sound! Another wonderful part of Irontom’s live performance comes from frontman, Harry Hayes. He’s got the strangest dance moves and seems to be singing a totally different song to himself when he’s not at the mic. His confidence is unmatched, and I love it. Ending with their standout single “Be Bold Like Elijah,” had me hyped for more great music that evening.
Bear Hands certainly carried that torch along when they took the stage. They played quite a robust setlist, peppering in numerous tracks from their entire collection. From opening with more recent single, “Back Seat Driver (Spirit Guide), to most popular “Agora,” to new jams, “Mr. Radioactive,” they hit all my favorites while never letting the tempo or crowd energy die down. Dylan Rau has such unique vocals mixed with catchy synth sounds and a melodic bass that it’s impossible for this band to sound bad. The highlight of their set for me came with the encore where they played my favorite tune, “I Won’t Pay.” I also really enjoyed that the last time I saw Bear Hands play was at the Grog Shop and they opened with that song. It was a fun full-circle moment.
In all seriousness, if you get the chance to see either of these bands live, I highly recommend it. Both have true talent that transcends straight from the record to the stage. Don’t sit on these masters of the craft!