Up-and-coming alternative rockers wilt came to the Paradise Rock Club on tour with Jutes on August 23. As the first of three bands on the billing, they had precious little time to give the crowd a taste of their upcoming debut album when no one’s watching, but they sure delivered.
The “Smile You’re On Tour” headlining tour by Jutes was already six shows in by the time Jutes, In Color, and wilt arrived in Boston for their sold-out show. Fans packed into Paradise well before this show began, and a glance at the crowd revealed a healthy spread of fans wearing merch for each of the three bands. Things did not go perfectly for wilt, with a broken guitar string in their second song proving to be an early hurdle, though they recovered admirably with an impromptu cover of “Undone – The Sweater Song.” After apologizing for “Weezering” everybody so early into the night wilt soldiered on for the rest of their set without a hitch. They debuted some new songs but couldn’t resist another cover with t.A.T.u.’s “All The Things She Said.” wilt definitely garnered some new fans judging by the parade of fans greeting them at the merch table to take photos afterwards.
The concert continued with the same infectious energy after wilt’s opening set. In Color, performing in Boston for the first time, handled the crowd with ease, while Jutes, the main draw of the evening, also had the audience in the palm of his hand. He performed his newly released album Chin Up, Beautiful almost entirely, and also teased a deluxe edition of the album due for later release with the performance of a new song, “Love Psychosis.” He delivered the news as a reward for the fans who showed up: “because you’re here with us tonight, I think that you guys should know some information before the rest of the world does.” Jutes’ set was not without its complications however, as a medical emergency in the audience caused a brief, but necessary stop to the show. However, he got back the show right back on track with a restart of the song, “Limerance.” From there the show concluded with more water bottles and less disruption.
Hiccups aside, all three bands pulled their weight and then some. It should come as no surprise that wilt brings headliner charisma to the stage. Although it was not officially announced at the time of the show, members of the band were loose lipped with fans about an upcoming headline tour of their own, and they’ve more than proven themselves up to the task.
Check out the rest of Greg’s photos below
