Indie rockers Saint Motel bring a party to an enthusiastic crowd on The Awards Show Tour with support from Steinza.
Originally from Virginia Beach but now based out of Nashville, musician Steinza (Zachary Stein) starts things off with a short but great set of indie-alternative songs. With just himself and a guitar, he has the crowd enamored with a set of very slow-paced songs that seem heartfelt as he delivers many of them with his eyes closed for a good portion. You can see and feel the emotion in his face. This set includes songs like “23,” “Radio Silence,” “Habits,” and “Tricked.” Before the song “Christine,” he tells a humorous story that influenced him to write this song. It is about a dental hygienist he wanted to ask out. In the end, he didn’t get the girl, but he jokes they play that song on the playlist at the dentist’s office. He engages the crowd during “Christine” by getting them to repeat key lyrics like “rent free,” “excuse me,” and “baby.” Towards the end of his set, he asks, “Who is here with the love of their life?” and many hands go up. He then says, “This is for everyone else,” and launches into the song “The Former.” The crowd shows their appreciation with a big round of applause.
The fans are getting anxious for Saint Motel to hit the stage, and when the lights dim, they let out huge cheers. From the opening notes of “Van Horn,” it is obvious that these fans came to party tonight. Each of the musicians is wearing a gold jacket, while the master of ceremonies A.J. Jackson is wearing a red velvet jacket and pants, along with sunglasses. The stage is meant to look like an award show with what looks like a fancy, illuminated podium that actually hides AJ’s piano/keyboard. They kick it off with “Van Horn” which has their horn section joining in on the fun early. A.J. Jackson roams the stage, getting the fans actively bouncing, waving, and singing along.Four times during their set, AJ announces that the votes are in and then the results are delivered in an envelope. For the first of these, they are brought out in a suitcase handcuffed to the wrist of a member of an accounting firm. He has a different band member read the three nominees and after announcing the winner, the band plays that song. For the last award, he even brings a fan on stage to announce the winner. For the first round, the winner is “Butch.” Other winning songs tonight include “You’re Nobody Till Somebody Wants You Dead,” “For Elise,” and “Sisters.”
Saint Motel has a knack for writing hook-laden songs with catchy lyrics, and with heavy use of pianos/keyboards and horns that makes them stand out from the pack. Many examples are in their set tonight including “Puzzle Pieces,” “Move,” “Sweet Talk,” and “It’s All Happening.” The latter has the crowd going wild as they clap, bounce, and sing along. “Everyone’s a Guru Now” has AJ on acoustic guitar, while the saxophone player takes over on the piano/keyboard. Saint Motel are well-seasoned musicians with Greg Erwin on drums, Dak Lerdamornpong on bass, and Aaron Sharp on guitar. “Sisters” has Greg and Dak delivering a deep but solid low-end that propels the song. After “A Good Song Never Dies,” AJ announces a lifetime achievement award for “Fine Wine” and lets a fan hold a chalice during the song. They wind down their set with one of their most popular songs, “Cold Cold Man,” which once again has the audience singing, dancing, and waving.
While the band is off stage, an announcement is made about a medley of slower Saint Motel songs. A video screen shows an orchestra and an announcer says the title of each song before a snippet is played in a very stripped-down manner. This includes songs like “At Least I Have Nothing,” “Happy Accidents,” “Old Soul,” “Save Me,” “The Moment,” and “Origami.” The last one is “Ace in the Hole,” and the band returns to the stage to play the song. It has the fans waving their arms side-to-side overhead. During “My Type,” AJ makes his way into the crowd, on top of the bar, and even to the balcony upstairs. He continues to sing along the whole journey that eventually takes him through the fans on the floor and back to the stage. The fans love it with many chasing behind trying to get pictures. He even gets the fans to open part of the floor, while several fans jump in and show their dance moves. Wrapping up their set, he takes a moment to thank the fans who once again show their appreciation with cheers and applause.
SAINT MOTELWebsite Facebook X
