On Friday, April 1,Peach Pit paid a visit to Boston’s Big Night Live for its 2022 tour celebrating the release of its third album, “From 2 to 3” (2022). With a loaded lineup packed with songs from all three projects, the band delivered a lively performance with plenty of fun hair flips and intense guitar solos — and a violin.
The event started off with a set fromCanadian artist Haley Blais, accompanied by a full band. As fans filed in, pushing as close as they could to the stage for the best spots for the coming performance, her music provided a soft and melodic background. Though her somber songs were certainly not the highlight of the evening, they provided an interesting contrast to the excitement and energy Peach Pit promised.
Peach Pit entered stage and wasted no time launching into fan favorite “Brian’s Movie” (2020). With an upbeat tempo, the song showcased the band’s impressive guitar playing skills. The lead singer, Neil Smith, gave an especially engaging performance. All at once, he sang complicated songs, played the guitar, stayed perfectly on pitch and still managed to perform for the audience with dance moves and hair flips.
By the time Peach Pit got to its second song, “Peach Pit” (2016), the experience felt surreal. Sharing a name with the band, the song is an anthem that perfectly embodies their specific sound. With over 70 million streams on Spotify, the song seemed like an intimate performance for the Boston crowd. It sounded just as good on stage as it did through headphones, making it hard to believe that the music was being played live on stage.
Christopher Vanderkooy’s tidy mustache was all the more iconic as it bounced along the stage to match his complex guitar tricks. Vanderkooy hung out in the corner, spending the band’s final few songs jamming on the platform holding the drum set. During a particularly skillful guitar solo, he touched foreheads with bassist Peter Wilton in a silly yet intimate moment that reflected the music’s intensity.
Though every song presented its own thrilling show, a standout of the night was “Alrighty Aphrodite” (2018). The band’s most popular song on Spotify, it is a clear example of Peach Pit’s storytelling skills. The song presents a sad narrative about a manipulative but beautiful ex who still has a captivating hold on her victim. The song is the first of many that Peach Pit uses to discuss details of its members’ lives that many can relate to, like lost love, long nights and good friends. Therein lies the explanation for its popularity: a song that tells you a story just like your friend might.
After a fantastic performance filled with ‘oldies’ and highlights from their new album, band members briefly left the stage and the lights went dark. It was as if the crowd assumed there would be an encore, as moments later they walked back on stage before starting back up with “Seventeen” (2016). Smith told the audience that the band enjoyed the energy from Boston so much that they would stay for an extra four songs instead of three.
They ended with “Tommy’s Party” (2017), another iconic song detailing tension between Smith and his former roommate after a night out didn’t go as planned.
After almost two hours of playing, it was sad to see the group leave the stage. Peach Pit delivered constant energy and hits catered to fans’ enjoyment with delightful onstage presence that made every moment impactful.
