Bad Suns is the gift that keeps on giving. With consistent album releases and almost yearly tours, the band has built a solid and devoted fan base over the years and is soaking up all the adoration on their Accelerator tour, which stopped in Phoenix on Thursday night.
The trio has crafted a robust catalog since forming in 2010, which means their setlists these days revisit the hits. That’s not a complaint — “Baby Blue Shades,” “Swimming in the Moonlight,” and “Cardiac Arrest” are just a few tracks from the show that deserve every victory lap they take. And mixed in were some selections from Accelerator, including “Madeline” and “Communicating”.
“Communicating” actually got featured twice. Frontman Christo Bowman wanted to see how it sounded if everyone in the crowd played the song from their phones at the same time, so he counted down from three and we all waited for the effect. Spoiler: It was far from great, but we had to laugh. Better to leave it to the band on stage than tinny smartphone speakers, especially when the band sounds this good.
Bad Suns is a classic example of sticking to a winning playbook and seeing the payoff — no TikTok stunts, no over-the-top stage production, and no scandals necessary. Even after 15 years, they’re still accelerating (sorry) forward and loved for it.
