Oh, the weather outside was frightful, but the show was so delightful. Radio.com and Alt 92.3’s Not So Silent Night featured Florence and the Machine, Muse, Death Cab for Cutie, AJR, Mike Shinoda, Foster the People, Bastille and Chvrches at Barclays Center on Dec. 6.
The show started promptly at 7 p.m. with AJR taking the stage. The trio of brothers — Adam, Jack and Ryan Me — energetically opened the show to a half full arena. They sang their hits, “Burn The House Down” and “Sober Up.” The crowd definitely showed up early to see AJR, as the arena was more than halfway full when they started their set. The unfortunate thing about radio shows, as such, is you only hear a snippet of songs before the band exits off stage. Regardless, AJR made the most of it.
The show continued on quickly after with Chvrches. The crew had a rotating stage going on to help move along the acts. The alt-rock group opened with their hit “Get Out” and played four more songs before closing with everyone’s favorite “The Mother We Share.” Lead singer, Lauren Mayberry, killed the vocals while dancing across the stage.
Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park was definitely the crowd favorite. Now, I had not listened to his solo music prior, but he made me a fan. He sang songs from his Post Traumatic album, like “Make It Up As I Go,” and “Running From My Shadow.” However, Shinoda had an infectious smile, even when talking about his late band member, Chester Bennington, who passed away last year. He sang a piano version of “In The End,” and had the crowd sing Bennington’s parts. I looked to the crowd and saw the emotion in everyone’s eyes.
Next up on the roster was Bastille. I was most excited for their performance as I think every song they’ve put out recently has been a bop. Thankfully, they did not disappoint. During the song “Flaws,” lead singer Dan Smith jumped into the crowd while serenading fans. The band performed their current hit song “Happier” sans Marshmello, but everyone loved it regardless. As expected, the band closed their set with their most popular song, “Pompeii.” Everything about their set put a huge smile on my face.
My night ended after Bastille, but I could confidently say I think Foster the People, DCFC, FATM, and Muse brought the house down. Alternative is definitely back and man, it doesn’t show signs of stoppin’.
