Written by Helen Vivas
Photo by Silky Shots
On March 31st -April 1st, Sound Tribe Sector 9 hit the Las Vegas strip to launch their spring 2017 “Get Loud” tour. The venue was intimate- only a couple hundred packed inside to experience their first stop this spring. With such an intimate venue, no matter where you ended up on the floor you had a perfect view of all band members, giving us the show of a lifetime. The crowd that filled the Brooklyn Bowl had traveled from near and far; fans were pouring in from New York, Illinois, California and the home state of Nevada. The majority of the fans were proud to call themselves Tribe Family Friends, having each seen more than 20 shows. Everyone was eager to see what was about to happen!
As the first night unfolded, SunSquabi opened the venue for Tribe. SunSquabi is a native Colorado band that has performed insane sets at music festivals. At Summer Camp ’16, SunSquabi had Michal Menert come out on stage and rap over them! This genre-bending band was the perfect start to the weekend, as they are a reflection of the boundaries that Tribe has long pushed. They did not disappoint!
As STS9 took the stage, you could see radiating smiles coming from each and every one of them. They were clearly thrilled to start their tour and unleash everything they had been working on. The first song, “Mobsters“, started and they quickly launched into a jam with the performance of “Light Years“ leading into some great improvisation, which I can only describe as a full mind/body rollercoaster with fan favorites of “Wika Chikana”, “Shock Doctrine”, and “Totem”. Each song brought subtle nuances making the version truly unique. This show was collectively super jammie and the crowd responded in a tribal fashion of hypnotic dancing. Zach Velmer’s drum kit was turned up high and everyone danced to the rhythms he was putting down. At multiple points throughout the night, Zach Vermer (drummer) and Alana Rocklin (Bassist) would break out into laughter and smiles based on how ecstatic the crowd was to be a part of the experience.
STS9 was not only back but better than ever, especially as their new lighting man, Tiberius, was dazzling the crowd with Saxton’s new lighting rig! As the second set of the night started, we were treated to songs off their latest album and namesake of the tour- Get Loud. This version truly took us on a space journey as it was jammed out long past the length of the album version. The second half continued to ramp up with more hip-hop remixes and new vocals on some of their original tracks. They ended the night with “The Rabble” and an encore performance of “Music, Us“. In that room, there really was no difference between the music and us, it had totally penetrated our soul and elevated us to a higher level.
Tauk opened the second night. Bringing the heavier sound to begin the night with fan favorites from their newest album. This night was more packed than the first, but the crowd was just as welcoming and tribe oriented. STS9 built off the energy from the first night and delivered an unbelievable show to the euphoric sold out crowd. They opened the show with “To the World“, and pushed the limits to songs that veteran tribe fans know and love- such as the insane intro and incredible version of “Moonsocket” (I STRONGLY SUGGEST YOU DOWNLOAD THEIR SET FROM 1320 RECORDS and listen to it HERE) As the night continued on, Zach got on the mic and yelled “Are you guys having as much fun as we are?!” and of course the crowd responded in a booming ‘WOOO’. We didn’t want the music to end!
Simply put- STS9 is back and better than ever! Over the course of the two nights, they took us on a journey through time using their classic blend of songs from their massive repertoire, with minor to major variances to every song. I can’t believe this magical Sin City journey with Tribe is over, but you can bet I’m purchasing the live tracks from 1320 Studios.