The Rocket Summer & 888
The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA – 7.28.17
Words and photos by Taylor Lyon
Bryce Avary, better known by stage name The Rocket Summer, put on an energetic Friday night show in Atlanta, Georgia at the Masquerade. To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the album Do You Feel, he set off on a nation wide tour across America with a set list dedicated to playing the entire album. Jokingly stating there was “too much nostalgia,” Avary played some newer songs as well. The crowd seemed to love the songs old and new alike, dancing, singing, and clapping along the entire night. Fans of The Rocket Summer were incredibly passionate and there was a feeling of intimacy, wholeness, and shared love between everyone in the room that I rarely feel at concerts.
A true master musician, Avary played numerous instruments during the show, including the guitar, keys, harmonica, and even surprised the crowd with a drum battle between him and his drummer. During a few songs, he used a loop pedal and a combination of beat boxing and an acoustic guitar to create a live backtrack on the spot and even went as far as having multiple microphones to create a unique echoing effect while he was singing.
Twice during the concert, Bryce Avary made big moves to break down the artists/fan relationship and joined the crowd for a more personal experience; once crowd surfing in the middle of his guitar solo, and the other, playing acoustic songs while sitting in the middle of the crowd, then crowd surfing around the room before heading back to the stage. The Rocket Summer also changed the lyrics of the hit FL, CA to “Georgia, California” for a fun twist. After the loudest encore chant I’ve heard in a long time, the band closed out the night with an obvious fan favorite, Cross My Heart, the first song from the first album.
888
The Rocket Summer
