Without a doubt, one of my favorite days of the year is the 97x
‘Next Big Thing.’ Over the years, it has introduced me to some of my favorite
artists. From Young the Giant and Cage the Elephant in 2011, to Grouplove,
Twenty One Pilots and Of Monsters and Men in 2012, it’s always a respectable
lineup. This year was no exception, as 97x put together a show heavy on bands
that get regular traction on their voter based station.
Opening up the day were three relatively young bands that
all have a successful single on their resume. Young Rising Sons started the
show, finishing with their hit – “High.” They were followed up by alt-rockers,
Bear Hands, who I believe have the most backing material of the early bands.
They entertained the crowd with catchy song after song. The same cannot be said
about Big Data, who followed Bear Hands and had the lowest sound quality of any
band on the day. Even overplayed radio single “Dangerous” sounded flat and
unimpressive live. This was one negative mark on an otherwise positive day.
The real ‘must see’ part of the festival started at 3:15
when J Roddy Walston and the Business took the stage. This was my second time
seeing J Roddy, with the first being in the springtime when they won GasparillaMusic Fest. Following a similar theme to that show, J Roddy let it be known
early that they were going to use their set time to play some old fashioned
rock n’ roll music. The essential tracks of their performance included “Take It
as it Comes,” “Don’t Break the Needle” and 97x favorite – “Heavy Bells.”
The pounding piano style of J Roddy would have been the best
set of the day, if not for punk rockers New Politics who immediately followed
them. Now I just reviewed the New Politics Irving Plaza show last week, so
their performance was fresh in my mind. As you can read here, the small club
gig for New Politics was great, but they made it well known at NBT that they
are a festival band!
The pair of J Roddy Walston and New Politics were so strong,
that it would have been difficult for anyone to follow up those sets. It was not
surprising that Dirty Heads seemed way too laid back and non-energetic after
performances like those. It’s unfortunate they played after and have such a
different musical style.
Even Alt-J, who was making a rare Florida appearance, could not
seem to measure up. I’ll admit this was the band I was most excited to see,
since I had never before seen the British indie rock band live. They had a solid
setlist combining material from both of the bands albums, and they were
definitely unique to watch. My recommendation though is that they would have been
much better in a club rather than massive Vinoy Park.
Closing out the day for us was a very familiar band in Young
the Giant. These guys are no strangers to Tampa, and after seeing them play
shows at Jannus, Hammerstein in NYC, and a Lolla Aftershow this year alone, we
knew what to expect. The predictable setlist was still fun though as Sameer
Gadhia led the band and the crowd through hits both off the debut album and
2014’s Mind Over Matter. If there’s one thing these guys are, it’s consistent,
satisfying the fans and always ending with rock favorite – “My Body.”
The headliner for Next Big Thing was Fall Out Boy, but sorry
readers, that’s not really my style. My group opted to get a head start on the
downtown St. Pete bars after a long day in the park. Despite skipping the ‘headliner’
though, it was still another great year for NBT. Once again, my props go to New
Politics for winning the day, and I hope to see them return to Tampa soon. And
as always, credit to 97x – the GREATEST radio station in the world. Can’t wait
for next year!
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