Hearts Go Bang For Blue October

Blue October w/ Harvard Of The South
Showbox SoDo, Seattle, WA
05.19.17

I had been excited for this show since first seeing Blue October last year at an electric show at The Showbox. I was impressed the first time I saw them by the music, passion, and mostly the fans. So I knew with the larger capacity of the Showbox SoDo we would all be in for another fantastic performance.

While I was unfamiliar with Harvard of the South, I had heard that it was an amalgam of a band called Longwave and Blue October. As the lights dimmed the band took the stage, it came to light that it wasLongwave/Hurricane Bells singer /guitarist Steve Schiltz and Blue October members Jeremy Furstenfeld (drums) his brother, vocalist Justin Furstenfeld, and bassist Matt Noveskey.

The crowd went wild as they broke into the set. The music was very dynamic but pretty straightforward rock. The band had released a free download of their song, “Without,” earlier in the month. While I enjoyed the performance, it was a contrast to what I know from the three Blue October members in energy and sound. Still a fun show to see and while HOTS has yet to release their self-titled debut, no doubt it will be worth the wait.

After a short break and changeover Blue October took the stage to even bigger applause and screams. Their fans were pretty hardcore and fed energy into the performance. They opened with crowd favorite, “Coal Makes Diamonds,” off their latest 2016 release “Home.” The anthemic song had a catchy chorus and hook that got everyone singing along as loud as, if not louder than, the band.

Justin Furstenfeld was the epitome of the perfect frontman. He had charismatic moves and a great voice, which he worked perfectly while interacting with the adoring crowd. Smiles were all around and the band and fans fed off each other, which built throughout the night.

The band never stood still, which was fun to watch, as they interacted with each other and the audience. At one point Justin went to hug guitarist Matthew Ostrander and pulled him backwards almost off his feet, while both musicians were still performing. Noveskey and drummer Jeremy Furstenfeld just played a opening set with Justin in HOTS and you would never guess that with the energy they gave. It was impressive seeing them and Ryan Delahoussaye (violin/mandolin) just having a blast on stage.

There wasn’t much stage banter as they let the music do the talking, and their songs were all well known to this fan base. Justin said he was walking around outside earlier and someone came up to him and said, “I have seen you here before and I love when you play this club.” He laughed and said, “I don’t remember shit before five years ago, but I am sure I remember playing the other Showbox, not here.” He thanked everyone and dedicated “Home” to the entire crowd. When “Hate Me” came in for the encore it was easily the biggest hit the crowd had been waiting for.

A great night and performance again from the Houston, Texas rock band. If you have never had a chance to see them, do so if you can on the remaining dates on the “Hearts Go Bang Tour.”

Blue October Set List
Coal Makes Diamonds
I Want It
Say It
The Chills
Been Down
Home
Driver
Sway
Debris
Into the Ocean
Heart Go Bang
Huston Heights
Shaken Up
Encore
We Know Where You Go
Fear
Hate Me
Italian Radio