One of the best discoveries you can make at live shows or when interviewing someone for a story is that the artists you support are genuinely kind and thoughtful people.
This was just the case with Dan Croll, who I interviewed for a feature during my summer internship with Paste Magazine and, subsequently, had the opportunity to meet at his show at D.C.’s infamous Rock & Roll Hotel last Friday.
Croll exudes the kind of affable, unpretentious persona that immediately puts you at ease. You could envision having a one-on-one conversation over coffee about his favorite shows to binge-watch equally as easily as seeing him work the crowd at a packed venue.
I have been a fan of Croll’s music since I discovered his first single, “From Nowhere” off of Sweet Disarray, which gained widespread popularity after being featured on the Grand Theft Auto soundtrack as well as in a number of ads.
For those unfamiliar with his sound, he combines pop sensibilities and catchy hooks with unique arrangements, likely influenced by his formal education in music at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.
His music, especially songs like “Compliment Your Soul,” has a kind of larger than life quality, yet lyrically, Croll doesn’t shy away from delving into intimate territory, illuminating his own experiences with anxiety and depression as well as the everyday identity crises and romantic struggles millennials face.
His music is unique in that it can make you smile without realizing it, even as you’re singing along with the rest of the crowd about the kind of feelings that you might feel uncomfortable sharing even amongst your friends. Its power lies in the fact that it makes you feel less alone and serves as a reminder that there just might be a light at the end of the tunnel, a new normal.
The venue was already starting to get crowded when the openers, The Dig, began their set. They showed a sense of humor, referring to the content of their set that came after their brief soundcheck as a “45 minute encore.” That said, even though their performance was energetic and engaging enough, it didn’t have the kind of pull so as to lead me to feel inspired to download their album Bloodshot Tokyo immediately.
Nonetheless, there was someone in the crowd that yelled out that he did just that in the middle of their set, and the heavily intoxicated girls to the right of my friend and I were definitely feeling it. Also, a number of fans crowded around their section of the merch table after the show; So depending on how they gauge success, it was most likely a great showing for them.
Either way it exposed them to a captive audience that probably wouldn’t have discovered their music otherwise, which is always a plus.
By the time Croll and his band took the stage, my level of anticipation was high, especially as the friend that came with me had never listened to Croll’s music before. She was somewhat doubtful of how high quality of a set it was going to be after having waited out The Dig with me.
Fortunately, I can report that she was immediately won over by the more complex, dynamic nature of his sound. As a student at Peabody, she appreciated the artistry and craft demonstrated in his music.
On my end, I was glad that he played a delightful mix of songs off of his debut album Sweet Disarray and July’s release Emerging Adulthood, thus maximizing my ability to sing along (a key element of ensuring the de-stressing effect of any live music experience).
The mixed set also encouraged me to spend time after the show diving deeper into some of the songs I wasn’t as familiar with from Sweet Disarray and Emerging Adulthood including “Wanna Know,” “Only Ghost,” “Tokyo” and “Sometimes When I’m Lonely.”
From my previous experience speaking with Croll, it was clear that he is very close with his bandmates. This familiarity definitely comes across in their live performances, adding a sense of seamless cohesion as they change tempos or transition over the course of each song.
It doesn’t hurt that all of them look like they’re genuinely having a great time playing together and are honestly humbled by the audiences that continue to show up, especially stateside. When a band brings that kind of positivity, it’s much easier to engage with them throughout the course of the night and keep your own energy levels up.
One of my favorite moments came at the very end of the night when Croll began plucking the opening arpeggio of his song “Home” on his acoustic guitar.
As someone that considers themselves to be more of a introvert and homebody, being at Hopkins at times feels challenging. I can only imagine the trials and tribulations one must experience on tour, the sensation of being in near perpetual motion.
That said, “Home” felt like a pitch perfect dose of comfort food for both Croll and his audience (a bunch of “emerging adults” so to speak), a nostalgic tribute to the joys of childhood, youth and time spent with family.
It was unexpectedly moving to watch as Croll stood back, the crowd taking up the duty of singing the entire first verse “I’ve forgotten how it feels with the carpet under my seat / It’s the polyester fibers that wrap around my feet / Feels like home,” in unison. Then, regardless of whether it was your first time at the Rock & Roll Hotel or if you lived around the corner, it felt like home.
Ultimately, the best live shows cultivate a sense of community, however fleeting. For the entirety of that night, all of us were gathered to truly listen to and appreciate someone else, regardless of the divisions that may often define us. It’s the rare opportunity to get out of our heads and join in a collective that doesn’t pit us against an “other” in a destructive way.
So next time you’re feeling down and out about the world, are craving a sense of comfort or connection or even just want to get off campus, see if there’s a show you can go to. I think you’ll be pleasantly reminded of the revitalizing, healing power, not only of music itself but also of being one in a crowd.
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