American Aquarium Graced St. Louis With Another Fabulous Concert This Year

— by Carrie Zukoski

American Aquarium brought their energetic, raucous vibe to The Sovereign in St. Louis on Tuesday night. Their second time through St. Louis this year, the band could have phoned it in, performing the same set, but they dug deep into their 20 years of making good old Americana, alt-country songs, and, while some of the songs were the same, they did a great job of switching up the setlist for the night. Not that any of their fans would have minded if it were exactly the same.

The North Carolina-based band brought two hours of killer guitar licks, vocal harmonies, smiles, and pure joy to the room of fans of all ages who belted out lyric after lyric.

 

They kicked their set off with high-energy “Katherine Belle,” then scooted into the ballad-esque “All I Needed,” then slowed it down a bit with harmonic “The Long Haul.” Frontman BJ Barham’s quick smile, smooth vocals, and obvious enjoyment are contagious and kept the fans swooning and engaged throughout the show.

With just a few nights left on this fall/winter tour, the sextet continued to give their all. They pulled out the rockin’ “Crooked + Straight,” the gentle “Northern Lights,” and the jaunty “Ramblin’ Ways.” The night ended with the honky-tonky “Head Down, Feet Moving,” which had everyone swaying, stomping, hooting, and hollering.

 

Also hailing from North Carolina, the duo known as Blue Cactus opened with 40 minutes of “country music for people who think they don’t like country music and people who love what country music used to be.” Their first time in St. Louis, they thanked those in the crowd who showed up early. Their sweet, melodic “Resolution” off their newest album has relatable lyrics that include, “If I could tell you one more thing / I’d be softer, I wouldn’t be so mean / I’d just listen to what you’re saying.”  Of “Quittin’ Again,” Steph Stewart said that “this one goes to anyone who’s given up something,” as she remarked about her recent fourth anniversary of sobriety.

It might be presumptuous to write, but a dose of American Aquarium might be all you need as “The way the singer was singing / My heart was connected, I was hypnotized.” Give ‘em a go.

Big thanks to Open Highway Music Festival for continuing to bring class acts through St. Louis.

All photos from the night:  https://bit.ly/AmAqSovereign25cz

American Aquarium setlist https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/american-aquarium/2025/the-sovereign-st-louis-mo-234ecc03.html