Silversun Pickups: Unforgettable Night at Brooklyn Steel
Outstanding evening with Silversun Pickups and Hello Mary at Brooklyn Steel
Event Details:
Date: June 27, 2024
Venue: Brooklyn Steel (Brooklyn)
Ticket Price: $60.73
Artists: Silversun Pickups w/ Hello Mary
What a special show in the books tonight! I should have known it was a recipe for magic when one of my favorite alternative rock bands was playing my favorite venue in NYC. Apparently lead singer, Brian Aubert, agrees with me that Brooklyn Steel is one of the best venues and I trust his judgement; he’s seen a few in his day.
I first heard Silversun Pickups playing an acoustic version of their song “Panic Switch” back in college and the opening bass line that lays out the foundation of the song immediately hooked me. Two words, first name Nikki, last name Monninger. It was so simple but so powerful and combined with the unique vocal range of lead singer Brian Aubert you have a pretty remarkable thing going on with Silversun Pickups.
The opener was a band from Brooklyn called Hello Mary and they were groovin! They are a three piece grunge band and totally rocked it. Also, how cool for a local band to be playing such a great venue, opening for a legendary band like Silversun Pickups. They seemed so nonchalant about the gig but I could sense from the quick smirks they were giving each other during their set that they were soaking up the moment.
The lead singer/guitarist had a slight mishap with her guitar strap slipping off during their second to last song and it was right during their jam breakdown but she did an awesome job contorting her body enough to keep playing without missing a beat (at least nothing noticeable). I’d also be lying if I said I wasn’t crushing a little bit during their set. Awesome opener and I’ll be checking out more of their music and hopefully more shows soon.
There were only two bands tonight, so next up was Silversun Pickups and the house was packed out. I’m glad I arrived early to get a good seat but you will also see why at the end. I saw Silversun Pickups previously so I already knew they would put on a great performance but it still blows me away how crisp they are. Brian still hits all of the notes and Nikki’s bass tone makes me melt with joy.
They have a decent discography at this point in their career so I don’t think they could play a bad setlist but of course there are a few hits that they almost have to play. They came out swinging tonight and played some bangers to start the show, including “Growing Old Is Getting Old”, “Sticks and Stones” and “Panic Switch” in the first five songs.
The crowd was vibing with the band and the energy in the building was really good. They also informed us that the drummer was playing with broken hand!! He had it wrapped up but you would have had no idea if they had not said anything. A true professional. As much as I wanted to pay attention to the rest of the band, my eyes were mostly glued on Nikki and her beautiful lipstick red Gibson Thunderbird bass.
She always looks adorable and so unsuspecting but don’t get it twisted, she is a true rockstar through and through. Her bass lines are simple but elegant and the perfect glue to hold everything together. I love her energy on stage too. She is always engaging with the fans, making them feel acknowledged, and her ability to jump in those wedges is beyond my comprehension. I think I twisted my ankle just watching her! She is one of my favorite bass players and I am so thankful that I got to be up close and personal to see her tonight.
Of course, they ended the set with “Lazy Eye” and I have some mixed feelings about a brief incident that occurred when they started playing. I have mentioned before how I am still conflicted with taking pictures because I want to be respectful of others behind me, and I never film, but I understand that it is kind of part of the deal these days so you just do your best to ignore it when it does happen. But you can’t be hitting peoples phones out of their hands and starting shit because you don’t want them to film. It’s not like they were filming the entire show and luckily they all cooled off after a polite exchange of defiance.
The benefits of being tall paid off in more ways than one tonight when I caught one of Chris’ drumsticks after the show!! I’ve caught guitar picks and setlists before but this was my first drumstick. The funny thing is, I didn’t even jump, I just put my long ass arms out and Mossed that sucker right out of the air. It felt like slow motion when it all happened but a super cool moment to end an incredible show.
Cheers and keep rocking!