House of Blues and Sight and Sound Presents gnash: Me & My Friends Tour

Bria Higginbotham
House of Blues San Diego
April 8, 2016
The House of Blues San Diego’s Voodoo Room created an intimate setting perfect for gnash, Goody Grace, and Julius. In a crowd of around 60 people, every “I love you” and “You’re beautiful” could be heard and responded to.
The audience’s excitement grew with each act; however, they seemed more hyped for the interval pop songs than they were for both of the opening acts. There is no doubt that nearly everyone in attendance wanted gnash.
The first opener, Julius, has 5 songs available on SoundCloud all released within the past year. Julius’ online presence is very difficult to find, being a new artist, which would account for the lower level of recognition. His flirty interactions with the females in the crowd designated him as an official heartthrob.
Goody Grace, the second performer, was the only act of the night that brought out a live instrument. His guitar, coupled with his jean jacket, made the night even more intimate, as if, like the tour name states, he and his friends had all just gotten together to play music and have fun. The highlight of his performance was his song “Memories.” The appreciation and excitement when some members of the crowd sang along was physically visible on his face.
This concert harbored a close connection between the artists and the crowd but the three singers themselves had an undeniable bond. All three made praises of the others throughout their sets. gnash has collaborative songs featuring both Julius and Goody Grace and he brought both of them back to sing with him during his set.
When gnash temporarily took off his Bernie Sanders hat, the fans went crazy, his hair being featured in his logo. They also responded excitedly whenever he came almost fully into the crowd, which he did repeatedly throughout the show. During concerts, gnash often wears a shirt with a daisy on it, so daisies were sold at the merchandise table. These daisies were raised throughout the concert to show the approval and support of the fans.
The setlist was perfectly curated for the concert experience, mixing in his slower songs with his more upbeat songs without losing any of the energy. The fans responded to every statement he made with a cheer or proclamation of love. At the end of his set, gnash brought Goody Grace and Julius back on stage again and played “Fuck Me Up” and everyone in the crowd pressed forward and went wild. When the final song played, the crowd to left very, very slowly.