cal coast credit union open air theatre

Stone Temple Pilots and Rival Sons at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre

KCR College Radio

Rock n’ roll was alive and thriving on Wednesday, October 9 when rock icons Stone Temple Pilots brought the house down with help from Rival Sons at SDSU’s open-air theatre.

I walked into the Cal Coast Theater to the sound of the opener, the Warbly Jets whose best song was “Alive.” True to its name it really woke the crowd up and brought a whirlwind of energy to the arena. Followed by the Warbly Jets was the Rival Sons.

During the lead up to their opening song, they had a dog skeleton with a beating heart going to the beat of the first song “Back in the Woods.” The crowd was thrown into a frenzy and was headbanging for the rest of the Rival Sons’ set. I couldn’t take my eyes off the guitarist Scott Holiday during their set either. He had the look of a younger Johnny Depp that instead of acting, took up music at a young age. The singer, Jay Buchanan, had an electric stage presence and felt like he was straight out of the 80s. As the set went on, they played their hits such as “Pressure and Time” and “Electric Man.” To finish off their set they closed it with a bang starting with “Do Your Worst” followed by “Keep on Swinging.” These closing songs captured the force of the crowd and channeled it all into Rival Sons’ rock and roll attitude. Their army of fans were headbanging and throwing out rock and roll salutes.

After the Rival Sons’ magnetic energy, 90s rock icons the Stone Temple Pilots followed suit with an equally powerful performance. They opened their set with “Silvergun Superman” and “Wicked Garden.” My Dad, a rock and roll connoisseur, came with me to the event remarked how even with a different singer than the original, the energy STP brought still felt the same as it did back in the 90s.

Towards the middle of the set they brought out Rival Sons drummer Michael Miley to play for them during “Plush” and they brought out Jay Buchanan to co-vocal STP’s hit song “Interstate Love Song.” This performance was a special tribute because San Diego was the last show of the tour and they wanted to end it with something to remember. STP ended their set with “Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart.” After the lights went down the crowd was begging for more and we got it. STP came back out and performed “Piece of Pie” and “Sex Type Thing.” Overall, I was surprised by how good the Warbly Jets were considering I hadn’t heard of them before the concert and was thrilled with how much rock and roll energy that Rival Sons and STP were able to bring to San Diego.

Written by: Jacob Stephens

Vampire Weekend at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre

Emerson Redding

On Thursday, October 3, 2019, Vampire Weekend returned to San Diego after six years for a sold-out show at the Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, with support from Soccer Mommy.

Vampire Weekend’s Father of the Bride Tour is special in that every show has a different setlist, and said setlist is nearly 30 songs long.

The band started out their San Diego show with “White Sky” from their second album, Contra, followed by “Unbelievers” from their third album, Modern Vampires of the City, and “Bambina” from their newest album, Father of the Bride. Within the first few songs, three out of their four eras were represented, and proved that a fan from any time would love the show that was about to come. 

One of the first energetic moments from the crowd was during “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” as the whole theatre screamed the famous lyrics “Is your bed made? Is your sweater on?” which really kicked off the night and saw everyone in the crowd begin to get lost in the performance.

Vampire Weekend also performed Contra’s “Taxi Cab” which had not been performed since 2010, and received a massive reaction of excitement from the crowd. That excitement continued as they next played “Sunflower”, one of the early-released songs off Father of the Bride.

Some of Vampire Weekend’s most famous songs; “Diane Young”, “Cousins”, and “A-Punk” introduced not only an increase in energy from the crowd but also in the stage design as the gigantic blow-up globe behind the band finally began to rotate. Another surprise in the stage design was when multiple flags decorated with various symbols of this Father of the Bride era dropped from above the stage.

After coming back out for the encore, the band took requests from the crowd. “Hannah Hunt” was requested by a man in a cowboy hat who was waving a shirt around pretty much the entire show, which eventually gained him notice from frontman Ezra Koenig. Another fan requested “Ottoman”, and then the requests ended with “Campus”, which Ezra dedicated to the SDSU students in the audience.

The night ended with intense “Walcott” and kept the crowd screaming every word until the very last one.

Listen to Vampire Weekend’s newest album Father of the Bride here.

Written by: Emerson Redding
Photos by: Emerson Redding

KIM PETRAS at Cal Coast Credit Union Amphitheater

Dominique Torres

Just in time for Halloween, Kim Petras and Troye Sivan set hearts racing at the Cal Coast Credit Union Amphitheater. 

The arena was quiet awaiting the up and coming artist Kim Petras. Kim Petras recently released an album— Turn Off the Light Vol. 1. which was released October 1st. The album is themed around the spookiness of Halloween, which is such a memorable way to introduce herself to new fans. Currently Kim Petras is touring with Troye Sivan on his Bloom Tour, and opens the show for him.

Right away, Kim Petras came out onto the stage prepared to make the crowd dance right along with her. Sporting a black jacket, shorts, and sparkly tall sneakers, the artist looked equal parts serious and fun.  Accompanying her was Aaron, the designated hype man of the night who mixed and controlled the music of the performance, all while still making sure to make active connections with the audience.

Photo by Aya Nelson

A super memorable aspect of Petras’ performance was that in between songs, Kim made sure to check in with the audience and talk to them. I feel like a majority of artists stop doing things like this after getting big. At best, it oftentimes feels like a scripted part of their performance, whereas with Kim, it was personal, authentic and refreshing. Additionally, her performance was amazing. While her sound is mostly electronic based, what distinguished her was that you could actually hear her hit the long high notes, and she wasn’t fighting with the volume of the track. Her voice was strong and she was definitely not afraid to belt and show her talent to the arena. She is definitely a must see live and radiates empowerment with her upbeat music. Some standouts from the night include “Tell Me It’s A Nightmare,” “I Don’t Want It All,” and “Heart to Break.” Arguably, the best song she performed was “Can’t Do Better,” since Kim’s energy was so contagious that you couldn’t help but scream the lyrics along with her. You could even feel the lyrics resonate within her. She is a unique artist, and it will be so exciting watch how she grows as an artist.

Written by: Dominique Torres
Photos by: Aya Nelson

Interpol @ Open Air Theater

Michaela Alejandra

People thought rock was dead; Interpol showed us otherwise.

Legendary post-punk band Interpol came to shred underneath the disco ball at the CalCoast Credit Union Open Air Theater, just one of many stops on their North American tour promoting their sixth studio album, Marauder. Completing the night’s bill were indie-rock trio Sunflower Bean and punk duo The Kills – a lineup which had several of my friends drooling with envy when I told them I’d be in attendance. Which, if I’m being honest, left me more than a little confused. Who listens to rock anymore? Punk hasn’t been cool since the Arctic Monkeys abandoned ship and indie-rock is teetering on the edge of irrelevance post-Mac Demarco. Although these claims may border on outrageous, it cannot be denied that the rock genre has been eclipsed in recent years by pop, EDM, and hip-hop.

Clearly none of the groups on stage got that memo.

Kicking off the night in outfits that would make any art hoe scream “yassss queen,” Sunflower Bean came to rock n roll. Straying from the Fleetwood Mac-influenced sound of their studio recordings, the trio amped up the energy with ripping solos from guitarist Nick Kivlen and raw, throaty vocals from singer/bassist Julia Cumming. With their blonde heads a-banging and trousers a-sparkling, Sunflower Bean’s entire existence pays homage to the genre which birthed them. Unfortunately, the band did suffer from the Indifferent Crowd Syndrome (ICS) that commonly plagues opening acts. Despite seemingly fazing the band, they still left the stage with this bold statement: “We’re Sunflower Bean and don’t you forget it!” Don’t worry, girl, I won’t.

Tunes to scope out: I Was Home, Twentytwo, I Was a Fool

Up next came the skinny-jean clad duo The Kills. The most notable aspect of their performance was the “the strut;” considering it’s been 15 years since their first LP, singer Allison Mosshart’s ability to own whatever stage her leather boots find themselves is downright impressive. Limbs rolling, long blond hair flowing, her control and ease over the environment is almost enough to compensate for the incomplete sound produced by the two guitars and drum kit. With moody, analog interludes, experimental guitar synths, the Kills are looking to take the genre somewhere. Where exactly, they have no definitive answer.

Tunes to scope out: Doing It to Death, Baby Says

At this point in the show, I was still inclined to believe that rock n roll is dead. Sunflower Bean and the Kills were both great bands, but neither seem to have the potential to revive the ailing genre. But as I furiously typed notes into my phone, I heard it. Life. The audience roars and rises to their feet as Interpol arrived to save us all.

Photo credited to the San Diego Union Tribune

Let me paint the scene for ya. A dark stage. Simple white spotlights cast light from behind the band, creating an eerie shadow of a band already dressed black. Then a single white light behind center stage rises to meet the disco ball, splaying light out to the crowd. It’s a simple set-up, but effective; Interpol’s music can speak for itself. You get the feeling they are at the service of the music. The band has mastered a suave rock sound that seduces you with every melancholy lyric singer Paul Banks wails with his haunting twang, and I am hit by a wall of sound, filled with textures and colors I’ve seen before, but perhaps not in this combination. Every song “bangs” and I can’t help but move my body to the beat, swaying my head back and forth so that I could hear every note. You can listen to Interpol’s entire set with your eyes closed, the music is a show in and of itself. And then it’s over, and I feel as if I’ve been abruptly woken from a sweet dream. The band humbly exits, it’s duty to the music completed: “We are Interpol, and that’s what we got.”

So, much to my chagrin, rock does live! It has bands like Interpol to keep its heart beating, and an audience desperate to consume it. The problem is that we’ve heard all these sounds before. Interpol’s music is superb, but the band has done little experimenting in their long career. I guess it’s true, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it, but sticking with a sound that just works isn’t enough to compete with pop and hip-hop artists who cater to fans with an incessant appetite for new content. Interpol’s Marauder is enough to keep rock alive, if only just alive.

Tunes to scope out: If You Really Love Nothing, Evil, Pioneer to the Falls

Review by: Michaela Alejandra