Concert Reviews, Concerts
Concert Review: Red Sun Rising at Old Rock House
Last night, Red Sun Rising performed at The Old Rockhouse alongside their opening act, TROY. The band has had a lot of success with their first and second album, so the crowd was expected to be rather large. However, it was quite the opposite. In fact, the crowd wasn’t even large enough to fill the entire floor.
Because of the size of the audience, I was skeptical as to what kind of performance I was about to see. The opening act, TROY, did an excellent job at hyping up the crowd prior to Red Sun Rising’s performance. A lot of fans were there for TROY, which made me question if that was the reason why people came in the first place. After TROY’s phenomenal performance, it was time for the main act to hit the stage. I was nervous for the band; I was worried I would have to give a poor review. I liked their music prior to coming to the concert, but whether or not they were going to deliver live was another story. Within the first sixty-seconds of the band walking on stage, I knew this was going to be one of the best performances by a small band I would ever see.
Mike Protich, the lead singer of the band, busted out moves to the beats of the songs, which surely caught my attention, along with the rest of the crowd. Bassist Ricky Miller was dancing all night as he plucked the strings of his bass, which also kept the crowd entertained even further. One thing is having the songs be enjoyable and the musical notes be almost perfection, but another is entertaining the crowd in ways not pertaining to musical talent. Mike always made sure to interact with the crowd as he sang; he would lean down closer and closer to the fans, which made it very personal. Ryan Williams, one of the guitarists, would flash a smile at fans sitting around him, including myself, and always tried his best to pose for fans trying to capture photographs to reminisce on this night they were sure to remember. There wasn’t a single moment where fans were disinterested in the performance because the band was always sure to engage with the crowd, no matter how hard they were jamming on their instruments. Their performances of “Left for Dead,” “Deathwish,” and “Emotionless” were some of the favorites of the night. At one point in the show, drummer Pat Gerasia had lost one of his drumsticks. Pat must have had butterfingers, because the stick went flying in the air. However, Ricky caught it midair and began pounding it onto his bass. To me, it looked as if they planned on doing that. After hanging out with Ricky and the band after the show, however, it turns out it wasn’t planned at all. Even with slip-ups like losing a drumstick, Red Sun Rising still managed to turn their mistake into something entertaining and memorable.
After an excellent musical performance by the band, members made sure to meet up with fans and chat with them. I was able to meet Mike, Ricky, Pat, and Ryan, and I chatted with them for quite awhile. What was really special to fans, as well as myself, is that this band doesn’t act like they have some giant ego. They’re down to earth, they’re friendly, and they know how to have a hell of a good time. The band doesn’t talk to fans like they’re fans, they talk to them like they’re friends. When I sat and talked to Ryan and Pat, I felt as if I had known them forever. They made everyone feel comfortable and important, and that’s what really sticks out to fans and myself. A band who can have such incredible talent and create fantastic records, and yet still manage to interact with fans in the way that they do struck me. The band spent at least an hour having drinks with fans and getting to know them, and they surely could have left straight away as they had been touring nonstop for three months. But, they didn’t. They made sure to take the time to thank fans, to take pictures with them, and make the night special.
Red Sun Rising put on a phenomenal show, and it’s certainly a night I will forever remember. How the crowd was as small as it was baffles me because the show was incredible and the band has so much talent. The crowd may have been small, but those who attended will be able to say that they were there from the beginning once this band gets big. And believe me, this band will. If you ever get the chance to see Red Sun Rising, absolutely attend a show if you want to be entertained, appreciated, and get a chance to have friendly conversations with some rockstars. This band does not disappoint.