CONCERT RECAP: Local Natives Bring Their Euphoric Sound to House of Blues Dallas

The beloved West Coast Alt-Rock band Local Natives has held a place in my heart since I discovered them my freshman year of high school with their album Sunlit Youth. Since then, I have been an avid fan of their work going all the way back to Gorilla Manor and Hummingbird and their most recent release Time Will Wait For No One. When my former co-host Landry and I realized they were coming back to Dallas this month, I knew I had to take the trek to Dallas to catch them.

The band was playing at House of Blues in the heart of Downtown Dallas to a packed house of eager fans. The stage housed all the band’s instruments plus two huge balloons of the letters L and N similar to the album cover of Time Will Wait For No One. Initially, Zac Farro’s side project HalfNoise was set to open for the band, but due to the success of Paramore’s current tour and some scheduling conflicts, he had to drop out of the tour. Instead, Chartreuse, a four-piece band based out of Birmingham, England, filled their spot. Landry and I were unfamiliar with the band, but Local Natives said a lot of high praise, so we trusted their judgment.

Chartreuse took the stage around 8 p.m., and they turned me into a fan in their 40-minute set. Lead singer Michael Wagstaff’s voice felt like a deeper version of Justin Vernon’s, and they sounded fantastic live. They performed a few songs off their forthcoming album Morning Ritual as well as some cuts off their previous EPs. Landry and I knew as soon as we got in the car after the show, we were gonna check them out. Their new song All Seeing All The Time was released just days before the show, and it instantly struck a chord with me live. I am excited to listen to their debut album when it releases on November 10th and hope to see them gain more traction.

Local Natives took the stage around 9 p.m. and opened with Time Will Wait For No One and Just Before the Morning back to back. This tour was celebrating their new album plus the 10th anniversary of their sophomore album Hummingbird. After saying hello to the crowd they jumped into one of my favorite songs of the year, NYE. By this time, I noticed how great they sounded live. The band’s harmonies and instrumentation sounded excellent live. Following the brief run of TWWFNO tracks, the band went through some older tracks including Megaton Mile, I Saw You Close Your Eyes, and Coins which was probably one of the standout tracks from the entire performance. The crowd was totally immersed in the show as they seemingly sang every word for the entire show. The band went into Featherweight, Café Amarillo, and Ceilings. Before playing the next song, Kelcey looked at the crowd and raised his hand high before playing the first notes to Airplanes to an uproar of excitement from the crowd. I lost my voice at the end of this song. They were only halfway through the set at this point, so it was a definite struggle.

The band took a moment to celebrate Hummingbird before playing both You & I and Heavy Feet which I believe to be some of the best indie songs from the early 2010s. The band followed with Empty Mansions which sounded even groovier live. The set ended with Past Lives, Wide Eyes, Dark Days, and Who Knows, Who Cares which is a perfect ending to a show.

The band came back out to perform a brief encore opening with Paradise, Sun Hands, and possibly their biggest song When Am I Gonna Lose You. After the show, Landry and I got the pleasure to briefly speak with Kelcey Ayer and I got a setlist too. Between Chartreuse, the dedicated crowd, and of course, Local Natives, this was probably one of my favorite shows of this year so far, and I feel lucky that I got to experience it with such a great friend in such a wonderful venue. Local Natives create some of the best music for putting you in the right mood and state of mind, and the concert was an almost therapeutic experience. After years and years of listening to the band as I shifted into adulthood, I felt fortunate to get to see them in person as they played a fantastic 20-song set.