There are some shows I go to out of a sense that I am capturing wonder before it zips away into the mainstream. I get to see something with a small group of others that in a few years from now could be presented in front of thousands. After seeing a varied yet captivating show from Skylar Grey I feel she’s definitely a few steps closer on her climb to pop stardom.
The duo TeamMate opened the show with a rousing set of sing-along pop tunes that brought to mind popular alternative acts such as the Postal Service and fun. Their ep “Sequel” just came out and you can download the single “Love Is Love” for free.
Skylar Grey’s band took up a large amount of space of Pike Room’s small stage. Her band was a guitarist, drummer (first time I’ve seen an enclosed drum set at Pike Room) and the other two of her stage musicians helped fill in the sound with laptops for added strings and vocals. They got the set started with a powerful instrumental that introduced Skylar to the stage.
Skylar’s first number had her seated in front of her piano and singing “Back from the Dead”. Her set then progressed to several songs off her album “Don't Look Down.” The songs vary from fun throwaway pop, angry rock and touching ballads. All the songs feature Skylar’s strong, pitch perfect vocals. Displaying some spunk in her performance she commanded a strong presence, playing acoustic guitar as well as a little street drumming. There were several times she reminded me of the brave, confrontational but also sweet music that Alanis Morissette brought to us back in the 90’s.
The strongest part of her 60-minute set was about halfway through where seated at her piano she played a beautiful version of “White Suburban” which flowed into her hip-hop collaborations, “I’m Coming Home,” “Love the Way You Lie” and “I Need A Doctor.” With hooks as strong as these I’m sure her phone must be ringing non-stop for more collaboration requests. Her set ended on a hopeful note with “Religion.” Then she stayed around a little longer to meet everyone that came out on this very hot night.
Photos and review by Mikel OD of MPAD Media
