Secret Show: Wavves

By: Tyler Sivero
Wavves
3 April, 2014

It’s always exciting when you find out about a show on the day of. Seeing a band just a few feet away from you as your screaming your head off is an awesome feeling. This is especially true when just hours ago you had other plans and had no idea of the show.  As if that wasn’t cool enough, the concert that I attended last night was a secret show for hometown locals Wavves.

A few hours before the show I saw a post by a local music blog (ListenSD.com) for the show that night. It was 7:45 pm at the time and the post advertised the show at 9 pm. I left shortly after. Arriving at the super small venue, which is a bar by most nights, I saw flyers for the show that said “Secret Show, 9 PM, General Admission, Line Starts Here”. I got in line, bought a ticket and went inside. I could tell that the semi-upscale bar was going to be turned upside down by a punk, surfer-rock band like Wavves. The place was a little too classy for the band but that just made it all the more enjoyable.

By the time the band finally graced everyone with their presence it was 11:30 PM, the flyer I saw said 9 PM so everyone was ready for the band to start (there was an opener at 10:30 PM). The band fought their way through the crowd to the stage since there was no side entrance at the tiny place. Immediately, they were greeted with applause, shouting and yelling. The band made a joke about taking some more time before they start but then begun shortly after with a fast and loud classic. The crowd exploded. The few security guards that were working the event started freaking out. A mosh pit had just erupted in front of them, people were bouncing around, the upscale booths lining the stage area were now filled with people standing on them. For any fan of Wavves, this was not only expected but awesome to see.

The band did an awesome job at playing songs off their most recent album while throwing in some classics like “King Of The Beach”. They even played some new songs that they said they had never played live. The crowd welcomed them graciously.

About the third song from last, it became apparent that the guitarist had blown an amp. This paired with the band’s increasing intake of alcohol made it a little difficult for the band to finish their set. The crowd could care less and encouraged the band to play the last few. The songs were played fine despite the setbacks and people hardly noticed with all the jumping around and singing along.

Overall, the show was an awesome experience. It’s easy to get in a routine of what to expect from a show. Things like “Doors at 7” and security creating a buffer zone in front of the stage become background noise for those who go to a lot of concerts. The fact that I was able to attend a show that didn’t have these things, and instead contained core factors that all of us fans look for in a show, is something truly special. Afterwards, I was able to talk with a few of the band members who happily signed my copy of their CD that I had in the back of my car. What a night.