Last weekend, I had the opportunity to attend a concert at Crowbar, a small venue located in the center of Ybor City. It is described on it’s website as a “rough-&-read downtown nightclub and beer garden featuring live music, DJ’s and weekly special events.”
One of my favorite artists, Declan McKenna, was performing there and my friend Rebecca and I decided it would be fun to go early, walk around the city a bit and then get in line. It was a general admission concert meaning, first come, first serve seating.
I’m going to be honest, this was one of the best experiences I have ever had at a concert because everything was so relaxed. It was unlike any other concerts I’ve gone to because it was such a small venue that only held around three hundred people maximum. We were the third and fourth people in line which was extremely promising because I was expecting a much longer line. I’ve been to a few general admission shows in my day and it always seems like no matter how early I got there, there was always at least fifty people in front of me.
By the grace of god, we ended up being first row. And when I say first row, I mean like we sat on the stage while waiting for the opening act to come out. The opening act was Chappell Roan, an alternative singer with a sort of Lana Del Ray vibe. I was surprised at how well she sang and how soulful her voice was considering she is so young.
Finally, the time had come for the man himself to come out. It’s always exciting to go to a concert where the artist is the same age as you because, at least for me, the artists are typically older than me so it almost makes them seem “less real.” I guess what I’m trying to say is that seeing a 19-year-old kid up on stage in front of three hundred people made the idea of being a rockstar or going into the arts more attainable. If this kid could get up and perform every night for hundreds of strangers and live out his dream, who says I or any other young adult can’t? It sounds silly but because he is my own age, he is just so much more relatable.
Declan McKenna isn’t your typical teeny bopper boy singing about love and heartbreak all the time. He is a well-educated young adult who discusses a lot of real-world problems in his songs. For example, according to Genius, his debut single “Brazil,” is a “protest song criticizing FIFA, the international governing body of association football, and their decision of awarding the 2014 FIFA World Cup to Brazil, without addressing the extensive and deep poverty affecting Brazilians and ‘doing anything for the communities.’” His second single, “Paracetamol,” was inspired by the death of transgender teen, Leelah Alcorn who committed suicide in 2014. This song mainly discusses the misrepresentation of the LGBTQ community in the media. Other songs that deal with politcal issues featured on his debut album, “What Do You Think of the Car?” are “The Kids Don’t Want to Come Home” and “Isombard.” Overall, I think he does a great job at representing just how woke the millennial generation actually is.
Moving back to the concert itself, Declan put on an extremely high-energy rock performance filled with heavy guitar solos, buckets of glitter and balloons. Because McKenna is still not as widely known in the US as in the UK, he had a smaller entourage than other people I have seen in concert, creating a feeling of authenticity. He had a full band behind him including himself on guitar, but you can tell he led the show. I couldn’t take my eyes off him and his sparkling highlight he was sporting. It almost felt like I was listening to a professional garage band, which I’m sure taken out of context may sound like an insult. However, I think it is the complete opposite. He had the perfect amount of “rough around the edges” that made his performance unique. He doesn’t have all the glitz and extras that say Taylor Swift or even Kendrick Lamar, who I have seen in concert, has. There’s no backing vocals, no confetti cannons or large video screens, just him and the music. He relies on his own talent and the talent of his band members to put on a good show which I think is admirable.
I think that a quality that has McKenna ahead of the game is his guitar playing ability. One of my favorite performances was his song “Mind,” because I am a sucker for well-played guitar solos and he definitely rocked one during the bridge of the song. Another one of my favorite performances was the encore, “Listen to your Friends,” which he came out with pink sunglasses on and an acoustic guitar after giving us a few minutes to recuperate. He also brought out bags of balloons to throw around the crowd during his performance of “Paracetamol” which I found to be almost contradicting to what the song is really about.
I think that Declan McKenna has a little bit to go before he can stand as a rock icon or a “voice of our generation” but he is definitely on the right track and road to success. Personally, his authentic, alternative sound and raw performance are all qualities of a real superstar in the making. I cannot wait to see where he takes his career and for the development of his sound.
