Joey Valence & Brae Pack First Avenue For Energized Wednesday Night Show
The line to get into First Avenue on Wednesday night was longer than usual, and it didn't take me long to come to the conclusion that I was too old for this show. Kids were lined up with excitement painted on their faces, and there I was. An adult who was already craving my bed. It wasn't even late, but with the crummy weather lately and the lack of sun, I've just been in the mood to be cozy at home rather than out at shows. That being said, I wasn't going to miss this one. The last time I saw the headliner at the smaller 7th Street Entry last year, I was beyond impressed and ready to see them do their thing on a much larger stage. I hopped in line, got through security, got all of my stuff ready for the night, and waited to be blown away yet again.
AG Club got the night off to a right start. I was excited to see what this group was all about, as the bio on the venue's website mentioned that this group is a group of 14 people-- a collective of sorts, full of creatives from the East Bay area. I was thinking I was going to get something slightly over-the-top and chaotic, like No Fun, so I was a little surprised when the group took the stage and there were just two members with a DJ. My heart broke for a slight second, but as Baby Boy and Jody Fontaine (the two founding members of the group) started performing, I realized that they were going to give me just as much energy and heart as a fourteen-piece group would.
Although the hip-hop-forward sound of this duo wasn't quite my standard cup of tea, they instantly had me feeling like I was part of their show. I don't quite know how to explain it, but there was something so energized yet accessible about everything these two performers did. It didn't take long for one of them to leap from the stage and into the photo pit between the stage and the audience. He stood up on the small gate that separated the space and sang into the crowd, creating a feeding frenzy sort of moment in the audience. I loved watching people who had been singing every word get to experience this moment, but what I loved even more was watching the people who had clearly never heard of AG Club get into it. Again, there was just something about this group that made you feel like you were part of what they were doing, which led to a truly dynamic opening set.
You could taste the anticipation and excitement in the air as the stage was turned over for the headlining act. After a quick break, the stage was taken over by EWOOK, the DJ for said headliners. As if the crowd wasn't already excited, the nostalgic tunes being pumped into the speaker seemed to amplify everything. People were dancing and pushing their way through the break between sets as if this break were a set itself. Although I definitely felt older than the majority of the audience around me, I related to the music being spun. They were nostalgic classics mixed with modern beats, and I was here for it. I may have been longing for my bed at the beginning of the evening, but the opening set from AG Club mixed with this hype-up moment from EWOOK had me ready for whatever the night was going to bring next.
As mentioned, I had seen Joey Valence & Brae (the night's headlining act) last year at the much more intimate 7th Street Entry. That show was wild, and I knew right then and there that the next time I saw this act, it would be in a much bigger room. Although the size of the room more than quadrupled, I instantly felt the same sense of excitement and passion on Wednesday night that I did last year.
Stylistically, Joey Valence & Brae is Beastie Boys reincarnated. There. I said it. It's not that they are a carbon copy of The Beastie Boys, but the influence is strong with this group, and their flow seems to mirror what The Beastie Boys had while feeling fresh and modern. It's hip-hop and rap, but it's so much more than that, and the flow between these two men is seriously on point. It's organic but also clearly organized and curated to perfection. Add the fact that their lyrics seem to speak to an entire generation and that they aren't afraid to get intimate and raw when it comes to their subject matters and words, and you are left with a performance that is as beautiful as it is insane.
The crowd matched that throughout the performance on Wednesday night. There were moments of mass chaos when, looking down at the audience from the balcony, all you could see was a mess of limbs flying every which way. There were other moments of pure beauty when the duo encouraged you to take a moment to meet someone new standing near you, which was preceded by a song that was a dedication to friends. Although this moment was nothing new and I've seen a million bands do a million heartfelt songs while being illuminated by nothing more than cellphone lights from the audience, something about Joey Valence & Brae doing this just felt a bit more genuine. Maybe it's because it's clear that these men know that their come-up is not something to be taken for granted, or perhaps it's really just them believing in the words and music that they have written and are now performing in front of thousands. Either way, it was a beautiful moment in a truly fantastic night.
I felt a bit awkward walking into this show on Wednesday night. I felt too old and out of place, but as I stood there watching and listening to Joey Valence & Brae do their thing, I realized that this was exactly where I was supposed to be. Within just a few moments of their performance, I realized that it didn't matter what my age was; I was connected to what these two men were singing and absolutely captivated by their energy. Music has no age barriers, and Wednesday night was a good reminder of that.
