Glam rockers The Struts rock exuberant fans in the motor city on their Strange Days Are Over tour at Saint Andrew’s Hall.
The line outside Saint Andrew’s Hall wraps down a side street as fans anxiously await the doors to open. Many others are already inside having taken part in a meet and greet with The Struts. 2020 saw them only play a few live shows due to the pandemic, and it has been over two years since they last rocked Michigan. The fans tonight are fired up and ready to have some fun. They cheer wildly when the lights go down and The Struts hit the stage and jump into “Primadonna Like Me” from their 2018 release Young & Dangerous.
Lead singer Luke Spiller has the crowd entranced as he struts and dances about the stage with his infectious smile. He is a ball of energy and really knows how to work the crowd into a frenzy. They follow up with “Body Talk” from the same album and this one has the crowd dancing and singing along to it. Luke wastes no time working up a sweat and takes off his shirt, much to the delight of many in the crowd. Fan-favorite and early hit “Kiss This” finds the band hitting its stride with guitarist Adam Slack cranking out the riffs, and bassist Jed Elliott and drummer Gethin Davies providing the groovy rhythm. The fans love it and seem to be having the time of their lives.
Early in 2020, the band decided to relocate to Los Angeles. With the shutdown due to the pandemic, they secretly began a songwriting and recording session over 10 days that resulted in the album Strange Days. “I Hate How You Much I Want You” from that album gets the crowd singly loudly to the chorus and moving about, with Adam once again providing the snappy riffs.
Luke leads “One Night Only” while playing piano, a song that starts slowly and builds into another sing-along anthem with Jed and Adam jamming center stage. Before “Dirty Sexy Money,” Luke keeps the fans active by telling them, “I want to see you dancing” and they have no problem following his command. They play their latest single, “Low Key in Love,” a song originally recorded with Paris Jackson. It is a bit more mainstream pop, but still has that signature Struts feeling to it and the fans love it. He leads the fans in a game of throwing his hands overhead, delaying a bit, and then clapping. They follow this with the acoustic “Mary Go Round” that has many waving their lit cell phones and then get just about everyone bouncing in unison during “Put Your Money On Me.”
With so much material to pull from now, they play a medley of songs from several of their albums, but heavy on songs from Everybody Wants including “Put Your Hands Up,” “These Times Are Changing,” “Only Just a Call Away,” and “Where Did She Go,” along with “Bulletproof Baby” and “All Dressed Up (With Nowhere to Go).” They slow things down with the new song “Am I Talking to the Champagne (or Talking to You)” that starts with a long, slow vocal intro and has Jed laying down the groove with a cool bass line that you can feel in the back of the venue.
The rest of the band takes a break while Adam takes over with a guitar solo that goes from a slow, bluesy start to a chugging riff to a fast jam. He continues with some crazy wailing notes up and down the fretboard and even rakes the neck of the guitar over a monitor. The crowd shows their appreciation with wild cheers and applause. The rest of the band returns, and they dive into the rocker “Wild Child” that features distorted, bluesy guitar riffs, a heavy bass groove, some hard-hitting drumming, and a major jam. It also features deep red lights that go well with the song lyrics “I’m your wild child, Born on a blood-red moon.”
A highlight of the show is one of their most upbeat songs, “I Do It So Well.” Luke is highly active during this song, jumping, dancing, shaking his hips, waving his hands about, and getting the crowd amped up. Just about everyone in the house is singing, dancing, and clapping along. He takes some time to introduce the band before leading the crowd in a vocal improvisation like Freddie Mercury. He gets everyone to “get down to the ground with me” and “have the time of your lives.” When the music starts, they all jump up like crazed animals and continue jumping to the end as the band wraps up the song and leaves the stage.
Returning to the stage alone, Luke thanks everyone for coming out and risking their lives and proclaims, “It means the world to us” and “we love you so much.” He sits down at the piano and plays a good portion of “Strange Days” before the rest of the band joins in. They close out the evening with the huge single “Could Have Been Me” that has just about everyone in the house singing along, especially during the chorus. The Struts are masters of writing fun, catchy songs that engage the crowd. Be sure to catch them live on their current tour or anytime in the future. The Struts never disappoint. They are one of the most fun bands to see live and make for a highly enjoyable evening that is well worth the price of admission.
THE STRUTSWebsite Facebook Twitter
