By: Toni Tiemann
Everything about a Vacationer show is as whimsical as the miniature light up globe donning a baseball cap on stage at the Middle East Upstairs on Thursday. I don’t know where Boston has been bottling up all of their raw energy, buy but I’ve never seen a crowd go so insane before.
The night featured a new genre of music coined by Vacationer, find “nu-hula, clinic ” which blends elements of chillwave and tropical to make the whole experience feel like, well, a vacation. The show celebrated the release of Vacationer’s new album, Relief, which dropped on June 23 via Downtown Records and Create/Control. The new record is light, summery and packed with rhythm.
The night was a pleasant blend of classic hits off 2012’s Gone mixed with energy-packed songs off the new album. No matter what was played, it seemed every person at the sold out show knew all of the words.
The most striking element of a Vacationer show is the unmistakable feel-good vibe that the bassist and lead vocalist Kenny Vasoli projects. It was clear from the first song, “Trip,” that he was just there to have a great time—with vigor that fed into the already blissful crowd.
Vasoli’s vocals are as smooth and delectable as butter in live performances as on recorded works, an element that adds to the already sunny atmosphere.
If that’s not enough to get you interested in a Vacationer live show, the group, hailing from “Chilladelphia,” as Vasoli puts it, features a vibraphone player—a feat that’s far too rare. Combining the strong rhythmic style of Matthew Young on vibraphone with Vasoli’s bass and Ryan Zimmaro on drums made it near impossible to find someone in the crowd that wasn’t dancing.
Even the lyrics are packed with feel-good energy, from Relief’s summer anthem “In the Grass” chanting “be yourself with open eyes every time,” to the closing song “Good As New” about Vasoli’s dog. To end the night, Vacationer returned to the stage for an encore that was delayed by the wild cheering from the crowd. The show ended with Vasoli crowdsurfing through the intimate venue while playing bass—a night that will surely be remembered by the attendees.
Joywave opened the night, preparing the crowd for the energy-packed night ahead with powerful synth pop that’s surely destined to make it big. You would have thought this Rochester band was the headliner based on the crowd’s response. If you heard some of these tracks without seeing the band, you might expect a couple of DJs on stage, but these five members know how to shred.
Want to get in on the summer action? You can pick up Vacationer’s Relief on iTunes and stream Joywave’s new EP via its interactive visual streaming website.