On Nov. 9, the sidewalks surrounding Mohawk were filled with enthusiastic and slightly chilly Bad Suns fans.
Story by Hayli Rudolph
Photos by Hannah Edelman
The evening was a rare night for Austin with its unfamiliar cold air. Fans took caution and dressed for the weather. Walking past Mohawk, you would never expect that the small and intimate venue could accommodate so many eager music lovers.
To kick off the evening, the first opening act, QTY, performed as a four-membered alt-indie band from New York City. Their smooth set rolled into the second act’s upbeat show by Hunny. The five-piece band was a mixture of vibes from Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day in 2004, blended with a bit of ‘90s flare as five cool people made some killer music. The lead singer of Hunny, Jason Yarger, swayed around the stage in a drunken manner, wearing a cow-printed cowboy hat, holding a cigarette between his flimsy fingers, as his other hand held the microphone.
Hunny ended their set with the song “Televised” off the latest EP “Windows 1,” seamlessly blending into “Parking Lot.” The audience hung onto the final notes and lyrics of Hunny’s last song as they sang “‘cause she’s so bright” and Yarger danced toward the balcony.
Although the crowd seemed to enjoy the two openers, they were soon restless to see the third and final band. After the audience sang a few Whitney Houston and Khalid songs, the lights disappeared into a dark abyss. The night was just getting started.
A blue hue devoured the stage as four musicians took their place. Lead singer, Christo Bowman, walked to his microphone that was a few inches too tall for him, and began to sing the song named after their second album “Disappear Here.” The crowd immediately started to scream and dance as Bad Suns dove deeper into the set with songs from their first and second albums.
As he transitioned into the next two songs, “Swimming in the Moonlight” and “Daft Pretty Boys,” Bowman says “this feels a lot like falling in love.” Bowman’s statement seemed very fitting for the next moment when a man consumed in the crowd proposed to his girlfriend. In the most romantic gesture, amid all the magic of the concert, she said yes.
The audience applauded and cleared a path to the stage for the newly-engaged couple. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, the couple wasn’t allowed on stage for their 10 seconds of fame. Instead, Bowman just congratulated them and jumped into “Outskirts of Paradise” from their second album. “Everyone please make some goddamn noise for Rebecca and Michael who are getting married,” Bowman says. “You guys got paradise headed your way, which means that right now we’ve left you on the outskirts of paradise.”
The night quickly came to a close with their well-known song “Cardiac Arrest” and then with an encore including “Rearview,” “Heartbreaker” and “Salt.” During the encore, Bowman stepped into the audience, quite literally “crowd-walking” and making the crowd go crazy. As Bowman left the audience and finished his song, the stage then fell to a dark and people shuffled to leave.
Thursday night was one for the books with three great bands, two albums performed by Bad Suns and one romantic proposal. It was just that kind of night: perfect. Special congratulations to the happy couple, Rebecca and Michael.
