Emo supergroup L.S. Dunes opened their summer headlining tour Sunday night by performing to a sold-out Basement East crowd in Nashville.
Nate Bergman opened the evening with an intimate and hauntingly beautiful 30-minute set. Though the crowd was unfamiliar with most of Bergman’s tunes, he enthralled and captured the Music City audience from the beginning of his performance. As he walked on stage, Bergman wasted little time walking up to the microphone and performing an acapella rendition of his track “War On The Working Class.” It didn’t take long for the Nashville crowd to pick up the passion in Bergman’s voice, and it wouldn’t be the only time he incorporated that into his set.
Bergman addressed the audience near the midway point of his performance, stating that he had recently ended a 10-plus-year relationship. As the audience tried to usher its sympathy, Bergman quieted those remarks by thanking the crowd for being on hand and watching him get to do what he loves – performing on a stage. Though he tried to mask the pain of ending a longtime relationship, those emotions surfaced more as the set continued. During his finale, Bergman fought back tears and delivered a harrowing performance that left Nashville quiet until a thunderous applause erupted as he concluded his stage time.
In 2022, the L.S. Dunes supergroup was announced as five of emo’s biggest names got together to form a band. The project includes Circa Survive lead singer Anthony Green, My Chemical Romance guitarist Frank Iero, Coheed & Cambria guitarist Travis Stever, Thursday bassist Tim Payne and drummer Tucker Rule. The group performed a handful of shows last year before releasing its debut album, Past Lives, last November.This summer, L.S. Dunes has been part of the Sad Summer Fest. Though they are grateful to be on the lineup, Green stated on Sunday night that it’s also been “weird” being part of that bill, and the band much preferred getting to headline shows. If Nashville is any indication, an L.S. Dunes concert is reminiscent of an old-school punk rock show that is nothing short of an intimate yet pure raw energy performance.
Though the group consisted of emo pioneers, it felt like L.S. Dunes allowed each band member to turn back the clock. Entering the Basement East, it was immediately noticeable that there wasn’t a barricade around the stage, which played a large part in Sunday’s performance. Throughout the set, Green and the other members of L.S. Dunes would play directly to the fans, clearly having fun, giving high-fives, and feeding off the energy that the crowd provided. One fan even crowd-surfed their way onto the stage, getting a hug from Green as security quickly escorted him off stage.
The only gripe the Nashville crowd had by the night’s end was that they wanted to hear more from the band. With only one record released, L.S. Dunes performed 12 songs, concluding their set in a little over an hour, making it an early night for fans. However, there is optimism for those fans who wanted to see a longer performance. In late June, the group released a new single, “Benadryl Subreddit.” If that is any indication, L.S. Dunes plans to release more music, which will bring longer sets, and here’s hoping there will be another Music City tour date before long.
L.S. DUNESWebsite Facebook Twitter
