Bilmuri’s Summer Slammer Tour turned Arizona’s Marquee Theatre upside down last week with a sold out show that packed the venue from floor to balcony. Johnny Franck’s iconic solo project has turned unserious music into an art form that clearly resonates with the fans as they stood wide eyed and grinning on the barricade and beyond.
John Harvie started the night with a bang as the perfect opener for this tour. The Philly rocker’s pop punk sensibilities have already charmed Arizona fans in the past and they showed up in force for his opening set. Harvie jumped between the onstage risers and jammed with his talented band through “At My Worst”, “Roses” and “Paint the Wall”- even throwing in a snippet of Weezer’s “Buddy Holly” to get the crowd singing along. Anyone not convinced as they were walking in the room certainly walked out as a fan of Harvie’s genuine personality and high energy performance.
The room was sweaty and buzzing when Bilmuri finally took the stage in a wash of fog and blue lights. The crowd went wild to “EMPTYHANDED” and “ALL GAS” as the song names got progressively more unhinged (“ABSOLUTELYCRANKINMYMF’INHOG”, anyone?). It took a few songs but the crowdsurfing eventually ramped up and bodies started flying over the barricade in time with the band’s saxophone solos.
Franck expressed endless gratitude during rare serious moments in the set- which is not to say that this is not a serious project. Franck prefers to keep the performance to- in his words- an hour of straight bangers, leaving the audience winded at the end of the sprint that these shows have become. The audience matched his energy, shouting along to “More Than Hate” and “BETTER HELL” before one singular encore song of “CORN-FED YETIS”. By the end of the night, it was clear to any newcomers that Bilmuri indeed has the sauce and these sold out shows are really still just the beginning of what’s to come.
