Show Review: Dead Poet Society treats Phoenix to “most fun show” they’ve ever played

After years of festival appearances and joining friends on the road, Dead Poet Society is on their first headlining tour and kicked things off at Phoenix’s Rebel Lounge for the “most fun show [they’ve] ever played in the USA.”
 
Local group popsiclestickairport opened the gig and instantly set the mood that we were at a house show, just with fancier equipment. The crowd comprised their friends and friends’ friends, and there was plenty of conversation between the band on stage and the fans at the edge of it. And even after the set, there was so much energy that PSa hit the floor for some dancing and headbanging. We love a local artist showcase, and the self-proclaimed “newer-aged, slightly esoteric” Let Alone took things over to play some tracks from their eponymous EP. It’s not often you see a violin player in a rock band, so Let Alone has the market cornered and had the crowd mesmerized.
 
But for the main event? Fans from all over the region packed the venue, and phones stayed in the air to capture every moment of this milestone show for DPS. The band tore through tracks from last year’s -!- and their catalog spanning eight(!) years while intermittently reflecting on their career thus far. And even though they’re coming up on a decade together, they still clearly love what they do—and that joy radiates from the stage. The antics with their instruments, the sweat and smiles in equal measure, the spirit of the diehard fans. It’s no wonder they had such a great time here in the desert.
 
Check out all the photos from the show!
Story and photos by Taylor Knauf