Hellogoodbye

After witnessing many opening bands get burned time after time, I finally saw one succeed: Hellogoodbye.

Opening bands are always presented with an interesting challenge. Audiences rarely want to sit through some unknown band and I know I always avoid getting to the venue too early. No matter how genuinely good the music may be, it’s hard to grab an anxious group’s attention.

The answer, as I learned from Hanson’s opening band Hellogoodbye, is to provide witty banter in-between each and every song. Tell jokes to each other, tell jokes to the audience, hell, even tell jokes about the audience, it doesn’t matter. It draws the crowd back into the show and to be honest, makes the band a bit more likable. Plus, how else would I have known that the guitarist has an adorable English accent?

Once you become invested in the people, the music becomes a bit more enjoyable. I suddenly wanted these guys to succeed. Once I started listening, it turns out Hellogoodbye is a talented pop band. They provided a full forty-five minute set of music you can dance to. Not just head-bopping dancing either, but full on hip-shaking grooving.

The most surprising thing was that I knew a song! These are the guys that sing “Here in Your Arms”. However the band is actually better than this particular song and it doesn’t seem to actually represent who they are but it’s always a good surprise to hear something familiar.

Hellogoodbye ended up being the perfect opening act. They kept me engrossed and entertained me in more than one way. If they pop up on your ticket, get to the venue early, if not for the music then at least for the two cute guitarists.

Articles and Photos by: Teresa Reilly

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