All aboard the METRO for a rip-roaring Saturday night with The Blue Stones and Meltt, who sold out Phoenix’s Crescent Ballroom so far in advance that a second show was added for Sunday.
Formed in Vancouver, Meltt — featuring Chris Smith (lead vocals, guitar, bass, keys), Jamie Turner (drums, percussion), James Porter (guitar, keys, vocals), and Ian Winkler (guitar) — creates psych-rock that’s reminiscent of Tame Impala or Glass Animals. The band takes buzzing shoegaze guitars, ethereal keys, and evocative vocals and blends them into a psychedelic soundscape that fills the room. Despite sounding so different from the headliner, Meltt had plenty of fans in the room who whooped their support between songs.
The energy shifted from hypnotized to electrified with The Blue Stones’ first notes. The duo (Tarek Jafar on vocals, guitar, bass, and keys and Justin Tessier on drums and percussion) is on the road promoting METRO and pulled largely from the new album for the first half of their set. Watching them play, you can tell they feel the music in their bones, and they keep the crowd hooked with a dynamic performance and larger-than-life stage presence. They shouted out their “OG fans” before launching into their older songs, capping off with crowd favorite “Shakin’ Off the Rust.”
