Review: The Backseat Lovers Perform ‘Waiting to Spill’ in Atlanta

 

☆ By Grayson Keglovic ☆

 
 

I FIND MYSELF WAITING TO SPILL IN MOST ASPECTS OF MY LIFE — I’m always anticipating what will come next and when that “next” will take place. Whether that spill is messy or controlled, I feel intense anxiety over the future. When The Backseat Lovers released their sophomore album Waiting to Spill on Oct. 28, I knew it would be an album that makes you melt into your driver’s seat — and I was right. As I listened to the album in full, it felt weirdly personal, as if the band took inspiration from all my aging tears and self-doubt, without failing to acknowledge the beauty of being able to feel and grow.

This past weekend was one filled with the constant overflowing of my personal cup: I started a new job last Friday and then traveled from Orlando, FL to Atlanta, GA with my best friends as soon as my first shift ended. To end my weekend in Atlanta, I finally experienced The Backseat Lovers live, with their new album showcased in concert.

The show took place on the evening of Sunday, Nov. 13 — our last day in our neighboring state — at The Eastern, and it was the grand finale of a weekend I will never forget. The temperature was the coldest I've experienced in years and made my “Florida girl” bones ache, but we still decided to camp out at the venue six hours before the doors opened. From 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., we waited in the cold and took turns walking to the local coffee shop and brewery that neighbored the venue. Several “Captain Crunch Lattes” later, 7 p.m. came and the doors were open. I was filled with such bone-chilling excitement that I tried to walk into the building without scanning my ticket. My best friend and concert partner, Madi, was the first inside and solidified our spot, four rows of heads from the stage. 

We stood our ground in our perfectly centerstaged spots for an hour before it was time for the opener. I don’t normally prepare for opening acts unless I already know their music, and this concert wasn’t any different. Bendigo Fletcher took the stage with “Soul Factory,” a song that is one of my most listened to on Spotify, but I didn’t connect the tune to the artist until I heard the first few chords live. Suddenly, my soul left its factory (my body), as Bendigo Fletcher gave a performance I hadn’t seen before in an opening act. Every second of their 30-minute set on The Eastern’s stage was enjoyed.

As their set came to an end, stage management switched out Bendigo Fletcher’s set design for The Backseat Lovers’. Fifteen minutes later, the room went dark and the crowd began to roar. It was time to hear Waiting to Spill live. Joshua Harmon, Jonas Swanson, KJ Ward, and Juice Welch appeared on stage and immediately played “Silhouette,” the intro to their latest album. Like the calm before the storm for me, the track embodies the tranquility before I immersed myself in the hour and a half set that I felt was written for me.

The opening song transitioned into “Close Your Eyes,” the album’s second song and one that I relate to heavily. Hearing the words “Time keeps telling me to change, but I’m fragile and afraid” live was an experience that I cannot get out of my brain. Other impactful lyrics from the show that I can’t shake from my memory are “Why does the plant in the windowsill reflect my state of mind? Growing and dying all the time“ from “Growing/Dying,” as well as “There’s something on my chest / It’s really messing with my health” of “Snowbank Blues.” To hear these lyrics in person was to find comfort in the fear of getting older and in the fear of not knowing. 

While being in the crowd, losing myself in the band’s melodies was an emotionally unforgettable night, The Backseat Lovers’ stage presence was just as memorable. Harmon, Swanson, Ward, and Welch performed their Utah-based hearts out for the audience while making us feel as if we were their close friends, not just fans. The four cracked awkward jokes to spark chuckles throughout the crowd, making us feel as though we were just hanging out with old friends and reflecting on “the good ol’ days.” As they played songs that touched on relatable and sometimes uncomfortable topics, the band kept the energy high and would pause to soak in the presence of the sold-out audience that their music spoke to.
Experiencing Waiting to Spill live was an experience that helped me understand that many of our life phase’s are universal. To me, it’s beautiful to find that kind of realization through music, especially music that is so relatable that you feel as if it was written for you; music that is so comforting that it brings you a sense of security, showing you that you’re not alone. Waiting to Spill did exactly that, and hearing The Backseat Lovers perform it live resurfaced these feelings with every chord strummed and every lyric vocalized.

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