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The Mass Media

The Mass Media

Teenage Dads delivers a ‘surreal experience’ at Boston performance

Jordan+Finlay+of+Teenage+Dads+performs+on+March+26+in+Cambridge.+Photo+by+Lilianne+Simons+%2F+Mass+Media+Contributor.
Jordan Finlay of Teenage Dads performs on March 26 in Cambridge. Photo by Lilianne Simons / Mass Media Contributor.

Teenage Dads impressed their audience with a personal, lively performance this past Tuesday, March 26. Despite the small size of both the venue and the crowd, the energy at Sonia in Cambridge was infectious. Dreamfone was the guest opener, delivering a memorable performance despite this being their first tour.

The show began at 7:30 p.m., with much energy from the crowd and the members of the band as Dreamfone played their most popular song, “Talking to Myself.” Richie Arthur, the main lyricist and guitarist, performed with interactive stage presence, throwing guitar picks into the audience and clapping to the beat.

Teenage Dads came on stage to much clapping and whistling from the audience. They didn’t hesitate to talk and shake the hands of everyone by the stage, before launching into the cheerful indie-rock song “Sunburnt.”

 The band showcased each members’ personalities throughout the show, with the bassist constantly dancing and the lead guitarist wearing an oversized red hat given by a fan before the show. Moments after, Teenage Dads brought the entire crowd dancing with songs “Tale Of A Man,” “Midnight Driving,” and “Speedracer.”

After about an hour of performance, the crowd began chanting for the group to perform their cover of a well-known, spirited song from the ‘70s. Vinnie, the drummer, began hitting the drum kit in response, and the group erupted into an energetic cover of “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles. Their stage presence dazzled, and the crowd sung each word as the group smiled through their cover.

At the end of the scheduled show, Jordi, the lead singer and keyboardist, laughed into the mic. “This would generally be the time that we would do our fake ending,” he said, “and have you guys cheer for us to come back on. But it’s cold outside, do you mind if we just do that here?” The crowd laughed, and erupted into cheers, claps and screams of “Encore! Encore!” After some time, the lights turned back on and the band began playing the ‘90s punk inspired song “Teddy.” Their closer, “Hey Diego!” continued the high energy that had been maintained throughout the performance, and it concluded the show in a positive, memorable way.

Each member of the band came together by the merch table afterwards, talking to anyone that came up to them and clearly showed their appreciation for their fans. “I really can’t express how grateful we all are that you showed up,” said Jordi, to cheers from the fans.

“It was just a surreal experience,” said Reece Alan, bassist for Dreamfone. He manned the merch table after the performance and continued to talk and dance with the audience throughout the headlining act as well.

Teenage Dads displayed their clear talent to committed fans throughout the entire production. The visuals were enticing, the audio was clear and Teenage Dads’ interactions with the fans exemplified their commitment to bringing a stellar concert experience.