Indie rock band, The Greeting Committee took their summer North American headlining tour to San Diego for a sold-out show at the Voodoo Room on July 31. The band is on tour following the release of their third album, Everyone’s Gone and I Know I’m The Cause, which came out in June. The four-piece band had incredible chemistry on stage, a touch of saxophone, and 20 songs to make San Diego dance and jump on their feet. 

Based out of New York, indie-rock duo TOLEDO opened the night with quips and stage banter alongside groovy basslines and a trackpad that separated the two of them. The opening group did a solid job of having spirits high for the main act, making the audience bop their heads up and down with their smooth harmonies. By the end of their set, everyone was excited and the room was chattering in anticipation of the main act. 

Lights dimmed and fans were taken to a dramatic setting as the classic song “The End of the World” by Skeeter Davis played as anticipation grew for the band to come on stage. Then suddenly, lead singer Addie Sartino sauntered along on stage followed by the rest of the band. Within the first couple of songs, the band had a pronounced enthusiasm that was reciprocated by concertgoers. 

Sartino, feeling all the incredible excitement of the crowd, went down to the barricade to embrace fans dancing along to ‘17’, a single from their first album “This Is It”. The band played that album’s title track directly to a fully engaged audience. Sartino called out and sang. “Ooh is this it?” In a call and response, she pointed to the crowd, and they instantly responded with the lyric, “Ooh is this all there is?” 

Even with a sold-out crowd in attendance, Sartino had the unique ability to make it feel like she was singing to you and you alone. I’m sure several of the attendees at the barricade jumping up and down at all times with joy would agree with me. “Little Bit More” was another song that injected electricity into the intimate venue. Bassist and Saxophonist Pierce Turcotte took a shiny sax from its held position on stage and played it to applause. “You’ve Got Me” was another song that Pierce had his sax blaring, as the crowd clapped and sang the last chorus without Sartino leading until swiftly saying “done!” to finish the song. 

The overall stage backdrop of the show carried a minimal look, with only stage lights setting a tone as colors changed with every song. Addie and the rest of the band were moving nonstop on stage. At no point was she standing still, commanding the stage and belting out every lyric to her best ability. She was amongst the crowd during “Bird Hall” and weaved her way into the middle of the audience, still singing and finishing the last chorus with everyone around her. 

“Hands Down” was a track that kept everyone in a carefree attitude, when Turcotte surprised the audience as he came with a tambourine down to the fans playing along, as the rest of the band played on stage. The final song of the main setlist was “How It Goes” before Sartino and the rest of the band would leave to go offstage. Cheers and fans urging to hear more encouraged the band to play an encore. The band played“Pull It Together” as the final track of the night before the floor cleared. 

Sartino repeatedly thanked the audience for a wonderful night throughout the show and even mentioned it was their favorite show thus far. I couldn’t thank them enough for reminding me and those in the audience how great it is to be with others who love the same music and have a one-of-a-kind experience you can’t get anywhere else.