I have this tradition at every concert where I ask the people around me what they think the opening song is going to be? Allison said, “Pictures,” and Jamie said, “Kilby Girl!” I was thinking “Shut Your Mouth,” or “Pool House,” but never in a million years did I think they would warm up the audience with their hit.

Joshua Harmon, (lead vocals and guitar)
Photo by Adam Franklin

The Backseat Lovers did just that, playing a card I’ve rarely seen played, and opened with a song that has been streamed over 100 million times, “Kilby Girl.” While I was wrong, and my brother was right, this is not about us, but a band that is at a career-defining moment.

The Backseat Lovers at The Vic In Chicago, Illinois.

Touring with enough confidence to burn their biggest hit first, knowing their small, yet incredible, catalog has enough steam to power them through the night. It takes an understanding of how invested your fans are and how good your songwriting is. More than that, it takes guts, knowing that if they play their biggest song, they have 15 other great tunes right behind it. So why not ratchet the energy level up to 11 and keep it there all night?

They did that as well. The Backseat Lovers have sharpened their repertoire to a fine point, expanding bridges into jam sessions, and extending the endings to nearly every song. These four players are a tightly knit unit that can go from zero to one hundred at the drop of a dime as evidenced on “Pool House,” where they break it down to a few, quiet notes before they all come stomping back into the hook, and the crowd screams, “Wait inside, I’ll be fine.”

Drummer Juice Welch and bass player KJ Ward are the bedrock that allows for such versatility while Joshua Harmon, (lead vocals and guitar) does his best Thom Yorke, skittering around the room, leaving just enough sonic space for Jonas Swanson (lead guitar and vocals), to lay down his Johnny Greenwood-like guitar effects.

L to R: KJ Ward (bass player), Jonas Swanson (lead guitar and vocals), Joshua Harmon, (lead vocals and guitar), and Juice Welch (drummer). Photos by Adam Franklin

During the set, a guy next to us leans over and says, “I’ve never heard The Vic sound this loud!” It’s true, the crowd was raucous, people in the balcony were standing and singing every word, and on most songs, there was a call-and-response routine. On “Maple Syrup,” when we get to the intimate moment where frontman Harmon sings, “Did it hurt,” the crowd responds, “When I kicked you to the curb?” That last line felt hard to sing, but seeing as the rest of the crowd was smiling and following through, I joined back in! “Now I’m all alone, I guess I’ll never learn.” It’s been a long time since I felt this much togetherness and positive energy.

“Davy Crochet” brought the fun, while “Dugout” showcased some of the hardest rocking moments of the night, including dueling guitars and the best fretwork of the concert. I can’t forget the incredible version of “Sinking Ship” in which the band did NOT “hold back” one iota.

Backseat Lovers Photos By Adam Franklin

From their self-produced Elevator Days we were treated to “Write Your Letters,” and the song that got this band started, “Out Of Tune.” “Pictures” too, which sent me home singing, “Take your pictures, take another shot of liquor/I want records, You want babies, I want a table for two.”

It was a beautiful set, with “Heavy” and “Close Your Eyes,” giving us a look into what their sophomore album will sound like as the band begins to write more together. I left feeling overwhelmed by their talent and impressed by their maturity. How can this band be so good at such an early point in their career? Hard work and determination.

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