It’s felt like a lifetime since I’ve seen Highly Suspect live! What a crime! Back in 2019 they released their third full-length, MCID, which was so, so good. My sister and I were supposed to catch them on tour in April of 2020, but you guessed it, the pandemic ruined that chance. Since then, the band has been hard at work on their next record, the recently released Midnight Demon Club.
That album is also a banger, so I was really excited to see them live again. Firstly, they sounded really incredible. Johnny Stevens has went through some personal demons, so I wasn’t sure what it was going to be like, but he quickly quashed my doubts. They opened the set with four songs off their new record, all of which I like. You know “Ice Cold” made the cut, along with lead single, “Natural Born Killer.” From there, the set went all sorts of directions, but a lot of songs off their debut album made the cut. I know my sister was pumped to hear “Bloodfeather.” I was also happy to hear “Seretonia” make the cut!
Their show was also way more interactive then I’ve ever seen them before. At one point, Johnny made his way into the pit, walking through the crowd. Now, people were being a little disrespectful, but he didn’t seem to mind too much. Later in the set, a crew member launched some t-shirts into the crowd, and the whole band just kept raising their drinks to the crowd. My favorite bit though was when they had a random guy come up and play guitar for “Bath Salts.” He looked so freaking excited to be up there, and he totally nailed it. They even let him sing the bit right before the final chorus. I saw his buddy filming the whole thing, but I doubt that’s something he’ll ever forget.
All in all, it was great to see these guys again. I hope they pop up on some festival dates next year, or heck, even another tour would be incredible! If you get the chance, go check these legends out if they’re swinging by your town.