Sunday at Augusta; one of the greatest days in all of sports. I’d been looking forward to this day for quite some time now, but not because of golf.
It was the day that I would once again be seeing the great STS9, and all day the excitement in my apartment was palpable. The short trip from Morgantown to Pittsburgh is one that we’ve taken countless times, but knowing what was ahead of us made it seem a bit longer.
When we arrived at Stage AE, the will call line was huge. Luckily, I had chosen to print my ticket at home, and was able to walk right in. Unfortunately, we were a bit off schedule and missed the opening act due to my forgetting to bring the aforementioned ticket when we first departed.
While waiting for my crew to get inside, I went to the bar to get an ice-cold frosty brewed beverage from the somewhat strange array of what was on tap. I’d be drinking Molson Canadian, one of my old favorites from my time spent living in Niagara Falls. As soon as I had turned around, STS9 began to tear the house down.
STS9 at Stage AE, Pittsburgh April 14, 2013
They started with MOD, a high-energy jam that when accompanied by the lights and visuals remind me of an epic journey through space. It had been a few years since I had personally seen STS9 live, and in my experience the lights were always great. The lights at this show were INCREDIBLE. Perhaps it was just due to my gap between shows, but they blew me away. The pyramid shaped visualizer was crazy, changing from Incan pyramids to wild lights into otherworldly runes.
After reuniting with my friends, the band began to play one of my all time favorite STS9 songs, Grow. This song is a true jam, in every sense of the word. Somewhere during that song, I was in need of another spicy water. When I returned to the spot along the railing that I had been enjoying the show from, my friends were gone. Then, of course, it happened. The moment I had been waiting five years for, my ABSOLUTE favorite STS9 song…Circus
I could hear the band teasing it for a while, and I knew it was going to drop. The random concertgoers around me could feel my excitement and fed off it. One guy was walking past behind me and said, “Shit, man I like your enthusiasm. I gotta chill with you.” My favorite song, and none of my friends were around. I made new ones. Listening to the beautiful tune, I started hugging random people, throwing out high fives like it was the 90’s, and just going outright crazy. It brings nothing but happy thoughts and memories for me. Two of my favorites in the first set; I was content.
The band played on, with a couple lighter tunes, before closing out the first set with Bigs, a rather funky jam that certainly made people want to get down.
The second set started with the happy feeling Golden Gate, a song off the band’s newest album, When The Dust Settles, which I had been looking forward to hearing live.
A few songs later bassist Murph gave the already hype crowd a bolt of energy when he said, “You guys are fuckin’ killing it right now Pittsburgh!”, before dropping a remix of a The Bloody Beetroots song Awesome feat. Cool Kids.
That’s one thing that I love about seeing great bands play live; there are songs you know you want to hear them play, and then they play something different or new that you never could have guessed.
After segueing into Unquestionable Supremacy of Nature, the guys played the first STS9 song I’d ever heard which sealed my fate as a fan, Moonsocket. It’s an old school jam from the band’s first album, Interplanetary Escape Vehicle, released back in 1999.
As the show came to a close, I thought to myself that I had gotten everything I hoped for, and more. Wonderful lights and visuals, iconic songs that I cherish, the atmosphere of a crowd bound together as one by appreciation of the talented musicians that stood before them, and knowing that the band was enjoying the energy of the crowd. It was a great night all together.
Roy G Biv
Then, just before the encore, one of the coolest things I’ve seen happened. The visuals changed to stars, as if we were flying through outer space. Suddenly, Earth came into view, and the visuals began zooming in on our planet. Then onto the United States, and further into Pennsylvania, and ultimately right on Pittsburgh. The crowd loved this, erupting into cheers. Murph then said to the crowd, “This is the best Pittsburgh show a band could ever have. You guys are fucking killing it tonight!” More crazy cheering. He thanked everyone for coming out and supporting live music, and they began playing their final song of the evening.
Knowing that the people who you love seeing, love playing for you, is a great feeling. It was, of course, a Sunday night show. In my experience, Sunday shows are always a little better. Well, perhaps better isn’t the correct word. Maybe they’re just different. But, to quote Mr. Brownstein, “Never miss a Sunday show.” Wookie Post, two for two on Sundays.
#NeverMissASundayShow
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