On July 11, 2018, The Wombats brought their particularly quirky and energetic brand of rock to Blossom Music Center near Cleveland, Ohio. Warming the crowd up for their friends in The Pixies and Weezer, The Wombats were way more than your typical “Opening Band.”
Taking the time to connect to the crowd, Matt Murphy worked the entire stage behind the mic and with his guitar, explaining a little background behind the songs and even bringing hollers of support when he talked about the World Cup. Dan Haggis on drums and Tord Knudsen on bass and backing vocals were absolutely incredible to watch. The friendship behind these three gentlemen was so apparent, as all of them interacted, joked, and played off of each other while still delivering a solid seven-song set that was in no way long enough for me. I am an absolute nut for The Wombats, and while they played my favorite tracks (“Lemon To a Knife Fight” had me feeling the things, that is for sure!!), I really, really wanted more. Alas, sadly, not this time.
You know those bands that sound SO good recorded and then super disappointing live? Yep, The Wombats are NOT that kind of band. They sounded even better live, almost like the grit and reality in their lyrics and sound NEEDS those live amps to bring it all to a fuller life. I was blown away. Matt Murphy can sing the shit out of anything, and I am a bigger fan of him now, honestly. Same with Dan and Tord – seeing them live brought a layer to their music that I didn’t know I needed. But now that I have it, I will live on it until the next time I see them! They are that good.
The Pixies seemed bored on stage, to be honest. This was disappointing, as I really like them and wasn’t really overall impressed with their live “energy” that night, as it was. Yes, I know, take my punk card. But, we all have off nights, so no biggie. Weezer did their thing that they’ve done for years that everyone has grown to love over the course of their tenure on the scene. No one quite made the geeks feel good about who they were inside like Weezer, amIright? Who didn’t listen to “Buddy Holly” and wish they had Rivers’s level of panache? But, for me, the highlight of the night was The Wombats. I watched people around me bop around and really get into them, even if they had not heard of them before. One girl actually said to her friend, “Man, these guys are SO good!” And I simply nodded to myself and smiled, knowing that she was experiencing the greatness on the stage that I’d known existed for a long time.
It was an awesome, temperate (a rarity, lately, for sure), beautiful night for an outdoor show in the Cleveland area. Thanks to The Wombats, I left Blossom feeling a little lighter, happier, and ready to “dance to Joy Division” a little longer. I can’t wait for the next one. I’m pleading with the powers that be for a longer set packed with even more of my favorites. Just a handful more, I am not choosy (but I have a list if they’re interested…).
