ECHOSMITH
live at the fonda theatre
march 28, 2015
(Michelle Tiu / Neon Tommy)
In the middle of their first-ever headlining tour, Echosmith took over the Fonda Theatre stage last night for an amazing hometown show in Los Angeles.
The indie-pop band, which is comprised of four siblings (Sydney, Jamie, Graham, and Noah Sierota), has come a long way in just a few short years.
Echosmith formed in 2009 and gained a decent YouTube following thanks to their multitude of covers of pop hits like Mike Posner's "Cooler Than Me" and Taylor Swift's "Mine." In 2012, the band was signed to Warner Bros. Records and, now, their music is being played on the radio, they've been on Warped Tour two years in a row, and they're touring all over the world.
As proof of how far these LA natives have come since 2009, look no further than how incredibly successful the North American leg of this tour has been so far, with night after night of packed venues and sold-out concerts - last night's show included!
The night kicked off with The Colourist, another local Californian band from Orange County, playing songs off their latest self-titled record (2014), including "Yes Yes" and "Tonight (Young Hearts)." With an energetic (and somewhat ironic) performance of "We Won't Go Home," The Colourist ended their set and made way for Echosmith to take the stage.
The youngest of the four siblings, Graham was the first to get onstage, playing the drum intro to "Ran Off In the Night" while the other three Sierotas soon joined him after, and the band quickly moved through "Talking Dreams," their 2013 debut album's title track, and "Come Together."
Although Sydney (vocals) was feeling a bit under the weather, she easily powered through the show and her energy didn't falter one bit. Older brothers Jamie (guitar) and Noah (bass) helped her out with the singing, allowing them to show off their vocal chops as well.
While most of us on the outside might believe that forming a band with our siblings sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, no one can deny that the Sierotas' onstage banter was extremely relatable and endearing for fans to watch.
And feeding off Echosmith's stage presence and chemistry, the crowd was singing and dancing their hearts all night long, especially on the band's latest single "Bright," during which Sydney whipped out her iPhone and recorded the audience singing the tune's catchy chorus right back at her.
The last time they played a headlining show in their hometown of LA, Sydney said, the band was performing for around a hundred people only. Now, almost every show of this 2015 headlining tour has been sold out, but the ability to fill a venue like the Fonda in their hometown was something that undoubtedly made this particular stop more special than any of the other sold-out shows. "I'm not playing favorites, but I am playing favorites," Sydney joked.
The siblings also played a cute little "game" with their fans called "Echosmith Matchmakers," where the band picked two fans to join them onstage and dance while they performed "Come With Me."
After "Surround You," "We're Not Alone," and an inspiring speech about loving yourself just as you are, the band finally performed "Cool Kids" - the single that brought Echosmith mainstream success in 2013.
The band then left the stage, but soon returned after a minute or two of fans chanting Echosmith's name and officially closed their set with an energetic performance of "Nothing's Wrong," complete with large balls that were thrown into the crowd and that exploded into confetti after a few hits.
With such an entertaining live performance, it's no surprise that Echosmith has been able to sell out night after night and prove just how "Bright" their future is, with even more success sure to come their way soon.
This story originally appeared on Neon Tommy.