NPO

Bad Suns at the Observatory North Park

Peter Swan
Bad Suns

The Bad Suns’ 2019 Mystic Truth Tour brought them to the Observatory North Park during April 3rd this year alongside Carlie Hanson.

Before the Bad Suns’ set began, 18 year old Carlie Hanson opened the venue with some entertaining, uplifting energy followed by passionate music coming from her band.

When her time was up, it was setting up time for the stagehands. It was quite clear that although the instruments for the band were there the set was not ready beforehand. This lead to waiting for the main show to start, but that is expected usually when seeing a band that is constantly touring. When the set was ready and the light tests were done, out went the lights and the show began.

Shortly afterwards, a couple notes began playing and the Bad Suns walked on stage to their designated spots amazed the audience. Their passion for music and the sound that they create go in hand with each other, and is demonstrated even better when seen performed.

As someone who was not fully aware of their songs and progress, I definitely saw myself having a good time at the concert alongside all these die hard fans who were singing and dancing their hearts out along Christo Bowman (Lead Singer of Bad Suns). There was never a single mistake through their entire performance, which was fantastic to see.

In conclusion, this band did a great job at creating the environment fans wanted, there wasn’t a second where they were not going mental over the sounds being emitted. If you ever get the chance to see these young indie legends perform, I would say take it because you will be in for a modern rock experience.

Written by: Santi Vidal

Turnstile at The Observatory North Park

Rica Perez
Turnstile photo taken from Paranaense87. 

Turnstile performed at The Observatory North Park in San Diego alongside Razorbumps, Reptaliens, and Turnover on Wednesday, April 10.

Razorbumps has an indescribable sound that meshes spirited 80’s punk rock with lo-fi vocal effects. Vocalist Jenn held a magnetic stage presence that drew in fans and casual listeners who wanted to experience an eclectic rock performance.

Reptaliens, on the other, had to be the most confusing yet entertaining band of the night. Living up to their Portland origins, Reptaliens kept things weird when one band member came out on stage in an eyeball costume. Despite their outlandish choice of attire, this group’s sound is much more mellow with synth-driven melodies and bright vocals which were sung by Bambi Browning. Overall, the performance was underwhelming, saturated with repetitive basslines and unmemorable instrumentals.

Turnstile, a hardcore band from Baltimore, Maryland, brought the heat and opened with their newly released track “Real Thing.” The aggressive guitars set the tone for a hard-hitting track that claims happiness is a mere imagination. Turnstile played nonstop; no breaks, no talking, just pure rock. And the crowd ate it. During songs like “Fazed Out” and “Blue by You,” audience members moshed, kicked, and slammed into each other in the pit. Against the venue’s advice, the throngs of crowd surfers also livened up the show.

The group recently dropped their newest record Time & Space under their first major record label, Roadrunner Records. This album incorporates the unorthodox, DIY hardcore principles of their previous works on Nonstop Feeling and Step to the Rhythm, which takes influence from Rage Against the Machine and the likes, and a more developed sound. Time & Space does not stray far from their roots as they surprisingly meld the familiar punchy guitars with high energy funk and soul.

For someone who has only skimmed the surface of the hardcore scene, Turnstile is a refreshing band to witness live. The straight-to-the-point nature of the show allowed fans to focus on the music without the frills of decorative stage decor, political rants, and gimmicks. It’s purely punk. Hardcore is not for everyone but I still highly recommend checking out Turnstile’s music or catching a show because I know everyone has a little angst they want to let out.

Written by: Rica Perez

Vince Staples & Buddy at The Observatory North Park

Eduardo Orozco

Born in Compton & raised in Long Beach, Vince Staples has risen to be one of the leading artists of west coast, new wave rap.

On April 2nd, he performed at The Observatory North Park along with up-and-coming artist Buddy (famous for tracks such as “Black” ft. A$AP Ferg, “Trouble on Central”, and “Trippin’” ft. Khalid). Similar to Vince Staples, Buddy was born in Compton and went to highschool in Long Beach, CA. Throughout their “Smile You’re on Camera” Tour, they have consistently sold out shows (including the one in San Diego), and made good money selling stylish merchandise at venues.

The Observatory North Park served as a fantastic host site for the event.

Considering that the venue is one of the best in SD, it helped that their was a large enough space to hold a huge rap-loving crowd. For those over 21, the venue includes a bar that serves drinks throughout the night. Additionally, security consistently ensured their was no underage or irresponsible drinking

As the crowd slowly poured in more and more, spaces were condensed and mosh pits were formed. Vince Staples’ entrance was as grand as his latest album and immediately made an impact, causing hype throughout the crowd. His presence fueled the energy of the fans and consistently maintained an open environment for those screaming the lyrics they had memorized

As a Vince Staples fan who has been listening for years…

I was ecstatic each time an old song was performed. Vince Staples recognizes crowd favorites and catered to those long-time fans. In addition to his new album, he performed songs from every single one of his albums and even some long forgotten mixtapes.

The visuals and lighting used for this show were extremely well done and added to the grandeur of things. Smoke was used to create an ambience that filled the stage as the lights created a silhouette of Vince Staples. The live video playing in the background features low-res footage shot with slow shutter to make it seem as if Vince Staples were moving in slow motion, but in real time. All in all, it was very impressive.

When concluding his show, he walked off and let his friend take the stage in a special way. They played a video of Mac Miller performing an NPR Tiny Desk concert; to add to the mood/sentiment, it was shown in widescreen format as well as black-and-white. Seeing as Mac Miller has passed and I never got to see him live, I truly appreciated the deed; it was as if Vince Staples was touring with him and it felt so authentic as if he was really there; they used audio from a live performance where he thanked fans for coming and was speaking from the heart. It was heartwarming to see that 90% of the audience stayed for the entirety of Mac Miller’s “performance” as it was just a video that was not advertised/warned.

What San Diego received was an overall great show with great stage presence from both performers and a hyped crowd that fell more in love with the artists/music. As they continue their tour, we in San Diego can only appreciate the good time that they carried in with their arrival that night.

Written/Photographed by: Eduardo Orozco

Noname at The Observatory North Park

Peter Swan
Noname

This past Saturday, March 16th, Noname performed at The Observatory North Park in San Diego.

This was Noname’s last stop of her North American Room 25 tour, celebrating the release of her second album, “Room 25.”

The show started off with another Chicago based rapper, Elton. Before, I had never heard of Elton, although seeing him on stage performing made me want to know who he was. Elton brought a certain charisma that drew you too him. He performed with such energy and mojo that made the crowd want to vibe to his music and incredible voice. Elton got the crowd grooving with him throughout his performance, clapping along to his songs, chanting with him, and snapping to the beat. At one point, Elton even began crowd surfing. Elton displayed a certain amount of control with the audience, talking or moving then the crowd reacting back to him. Towards the end of the performance you could see how Elton brought out the audiences’ energy, as he got the whole place grooving with him.

After Elton, the lights slowly dimmed until all you could see was the luminescent sign on back of the stage shining bright saying, “ROOM 25,” while the whole crowd began to scream waiting for Noname to come out. Suddenly, the music began and out came Noname singing along. She was incredible, and you could see that she was having fun as she performed on stage talking with both the band and the audience. Whereas a lot of artists seem to put on a front, Noname seemed to be genuine, acting like her “true” self.

She performed songs from both her first debut album, “Telefone” and her latest album “Room 25.” She even performed her recently released single “Song 31.” It was beautiful hearing her perform, the amount of talent that she displays as a lyricist and artist is incredible. Hearing her perform her songs and the crowd singing along with her made for a fun Saturday night. Everyone in the crowd grooved along with the music and the amazing flow, talent, and comfort that she displayed on stage made you want to sit back and enjoy the show.

Sadly all great things have to come to an end, after the show Noname left the stage and the theater went dark. Fortunately, she came back to perform one more song after everyone began to scream out “Encore.” After finishing out the night with her last song, Noname said her final goodbye and thanked San Diego for coming out for seeing her that night. And thus marked the end of her North American Room 25 Tour.

Written by: Sam DeLeon