The Urge Rocked a Packed St Louis Music Park Crowd Saturday With Beautiful Madness

 

–Review and photos by Keith Brake

 

Hello Midwest rewind family! I am beyond excited to be writing reviews for live shows once again and I hope you all are planning to enjoy some of the amazing concerts we have for the remainder of the year in STL.  I recently had the pleasure of covering The Urge, with Soul Asylum and Local H, and as Saint Louisans would expect it was a great evening of live music.

So, where to start with my first review in more than a YEAR?! How about the venue? Saint Louis Music Park is a brand-new open-air venue just up the street from The Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre and, as you may have heard, there is not a bad seat in the house. To accompany the fantastic views – premier sound. I was all over the venue throughout the evening and I found no dead spots for site or sound. Pair this with a large stage and full production lighting and you have a nice place to see your favorite band.

Local H kicked off the evening and after a few minor technical issues the two-member powerhouse was off and rolling. Scott Lucas has not lost a bit of vocal presence and I may even say he sounds as good as ever if not better. Lucas is a great entertainer and has a knack for interacting with the crowd as their set flows seamlessly. I do not need to mention how challenging a two-member band would be to make a “full” sound but Lucas and Ryan Harding (Drums/Backing Vocals) do a masterful job of just this. Never once did the set feel or sound lacking.

Next to take the stage was Soul Asylum. Like Local H they were absolutely on top of their game. Dave Pimer (guitar/lead vocals) still sounds amazing and had me reminiscing for much of their set. The band is tight and polished which is great to see after so many had to step away from working for the past 18 months. The set included some newer material as well as tried and true hits. I felt Soul Asylum did a nice job of ensuring their set had a nice exchange of ebbs and flows to keep a “fresh” feel throughout. As one would expect “Somebody to Shove” “Black Gold” and “Runaway Train” had a massive response as well as crowd participation.

The sun had completely set on the music park by the time Soul Asylum had finished. The place was abuzz with loyal, excited fans of The Urge as the venue had been consistently filling all evening. With a full brigade of Urge fanatics filling the floor and crowding the barricade the house lights dropped and from the shadows of stage right walked Donny Fandango (105.7 The Point) ; at this moment all in attendance knew one of the highest energy shows you will ever see was eminent. Fandango welcomed the crowd and spoke to how amazing it was to have live music and concerts back in STL and asked the crowd “Who’s gonna start? You or me?” No sooner than the words left his mouth you could hear the chant from the crowd crescendo to a dull roar….. ptmfus…. ptmfUS… PTMFUS!

Fandango exited and The Urge took the stage to a roar of appreciative applause. In typical Urge fashion the show started at 150% from the first note and NEVER slowed. As many times as I have watched these amazing performers I am still in awe at the amount of running, jumping and just overall motion that is happening on stage; from one side of the stage to the other full out orchestrated madness. Beautiful, beautiful madness. The set kicked off with “Violent Opposition”, a crowd favorite that always gets everyone amped, then seamlessly slid into “All Washed Up” followed by “Too Much Stereo”. By the time these songs concluded there was nary a butt left in a seat. Everyone was on their feet enjoying the full throttle performance. If you have never witnessed The Urge do what they do I probably do not have the words to describe it to you. It is something that you, truly, owe it to yourself to see as I promise you will be hard pressed to find another group of musicians that go harder than The Urge. The set contained 23 songs complete with an encore and was a pleasure from start to finish both visually and audibly. On, perhaps, a deeper level a sign of recovery and rebirth of the live shows we all hold so dear to our hearts. Personal highlights included “I go Home”, “Too Much Stereo” and “4 Letters”. With that said, an Urge show is loaded with highlights so I could go on but I will spare you all the rambling.

If you missed this show never fear as the boys have a couple more shows coming up in the near future, September 4^th at the Du Quoin State fair in Du Quoin IL and, of course, the THANKSGIVING SHOW at The Pageant! Music is back folks, be safe, take care of one another and go enjoy a live show!

 

Peace, Keith

 

The Urge Setlist:

Violent opposition

All Washed Up

Too Much Stereo

Dirty Rat

Believe

Straight To Hell

Divide And Conquer

Don’t Ask Why

Liquor Store

How Does It Feel

4 Letters

Where Do We Go

I Go Home

Hollywood Ending

Closer

Perfect Hazard

Tell Me What’s Goin’ On

Say A Prayer

Take Away

Jump Right In

Brainless

One Love

Hectic