It’s been nearly two long years since Badflower has visited Arizona and the fans in Phoenix have certainly missed them. The band returned to the Marquee Theatre this week, bringing a new album and plenty of energy to their eager audience.
Storming the stage first was Russian pop princess AnDy Darling and her masked band. The tracksuited singer turned the crowded stage into her playground, dancing with abandon and even flinging off her ushanka from some aggressive headbanging. The crowd was initially taken aback by the riotous performance but quickly got into the groove as Darling’s set continued. She introduced multiple songs as being about her and won over the audience in a fun and chaotic 30 minutes.
Texas alt-rockers Olive Vox took the next supporting slot, thanking the audience for “tolerating” their set- all while getting the room absolutely riled up for the rest of the show. The Dallas quartet ripped it up on Marquee’s stage, performing songs like “Babydoll” and “Wash You Away” to a receptive room. They are one of Atlas’ current favorites and definitely a band to watch as they continue this tour.
The buzz in the room escalated as Badflower emerged into a blinding wall of light- and a cheeky SpongeBob intro video that had fans giggling on the barricade. The aptly-named “Number 1” was the first song of the night, right into “Snuff” and an energy that started a constant mass of movement in the audience. Singer Josh Katz was his usual mix of genuine and sarcastic, speaking to the millennial experience on “30” (and dedicating it to all the “old folks” on the mezzanine).
Katz also addressed what could have been the elephant in the room, but is well known to longtime fans of the band- he’s been struggling with his voice getting weaker for over a year and not holding up for a length of a full show. Despite his visible physical conflict with his own vocal cords, he gave the fans everything he had and they returned the favor by singing even louder throughout the night. Midway through the set, Katz disappeared and let the rest of the band- Joey Morrow on guitar, Alex Espiritu on bass and Anthony Sonetti on drums- jam through a series of incredible solos before reappearing with a banana in hand and a determination to finish the night strong.
After cheekily lying to the room about how many songs were left, the main performance ended with “The Jester” and “Ghost”, a true throwback to the band’s stunning first album. Of course, the cheers from the audience brought them right back out for a three song encore that culminated in Katz running into the crowd during “Swinging Hammer”, a song that was joined by AnDy Darling on guest vocals. Regardless of the band’s current difficulties, they promised to stay the course, make more music and come back better than ever. With the reception they always receive in Phoenix, we’re sure to see them return to the desert as soon as possible to be welcomed with open arms.
