Concert Review: Briston Maroney at The Masquerade

Maroney's "Sunflower World Tour" has seen him crisscrossing the country since last September. Last night's show at The Masquerade's Hell stage was in front of a sold out 550 person crowd. He sold out Saturn in Birmingham last September and played The Fox in Atlanta last November supporting Manchester Orchestra.

Briston Maroney has been an absolute trooper on the road, he's been going almost nonstop for over a year. Atlanta's show came just a few days after Briston had to postpone his Pittsburg show for mental health reasons. With just a few dates left on this leg of tour, its impossible to not applaud his hard-work and dedication to his fans and finishing out the run.

This show was also a special one as Briston's father joined him on stage for two of his final songs. It's easy to see where he gets his talent from as the older Maroney tore it up on the guitar solo to "Freakin' out on the Interstate." 

Punk-rocker Jackie Hayes opened up the night with a bang. She didn't hold back with her energy, kicking and jumping across the stage for a full half hour. Fans could also spot Jackie moshing right in the middle of the pit during Briston's set. This was Jackie's first time in Atlanta.

Energetic as always, Briston had the entire room moving. His stage presence is more than excellent, he made everyone in the room feel as if they were on the front row (even the balcony). Spins,  jumps, and kicks kept him in motion as he sang and played off the rest of his band. I mentioned his mosh pit earlier, fans were crowdsurfing and singing along throughout the entire night. 

Maroney was on his A-game vocally. Every time I see him perform he outdoes his last performance. He manages to sound just like his recordings, just with some added flair and even more passion. He truly is just musically talented, something that can be hard to translate in a live setting. Raw and powerful, he was ready to belt on the loudest moments of his songs. But Briston is also more than capable of keeping things quiet and in control on his quieter moments interlaced.

Briston's backing band, made up of Devin Badgett (guitar), Zack Lockwood (bass), and Nathan Knox (percussion), were stellar. Outside of their amazing performance, the trio just looked like they were having fun. The entire show they played off each other and Briston with ease and a smile. The band even lead the crowd for a stretch ahead of the rowdier half of their set.

Since I first saw the "Sunflower World Tour" last September Briston has made some upgrades. Four new light poles on stage and a whole lot more sunflowers added to the atmosphere. Briston seems to have made sure his show is perfect, and that hard-work has paid off. The production used a lot of green and yellow lights, reflecting the sunflower theme, but notably went crazy during the song "I've Been Waiting." Strobing and flashing went off the rails as Briston and band shredded through the song. 

A deceptively short setlist, Briston and company played for nearly an hour and a half. With a studio album and a handful of EPs under his belt, he has a nice selection of songs including hits "It's Still Cool If You Don't" and "Freakin' out on the Interstate." He closed the night with a fan favorite sing (scream) along, "Caroline."

          1. Small Talk

          2. Bottle Rocket

          3. It's Still Cool If You Don't

          4. Deep Sea Diver

          5. Freeway

          6. Fool's Gold

          7. June

          8. Rollercoaster

          9. Why

          10. Sinkin'

          11. I've Been Waiting

          12. Steve

          13. Freakin' out on the Interstate

          -

          14. Caroline

Briston isn't finished quite yet. He's still got two more headlining US dates on his tour before a couple of major festival appearances and big time opening slots and the he's off to Europe. His remaining tour dates are below;

          3/19 Nashville, TN — The Basement East*+ (SOLD OUT)

          3/20 Nashville, TN — The Basement East*= (SOLD OUT)

          5/20 Gulf Shores, AL — Hangout Music Festival 2022

          5/23 Irving, TX — Irving Music Factory^

          5/24 Tulsa, OK — BOK Center^

          6/17 Manchester, TN — Bonaroo Music & Arts Festival 2022

          7/01 Charleston, SC — Woodlands Nature Reserve~

          7/02 Wilmington, NC — Riverfront Park Amphitheater~

          7/03 Asheville, NC — Rabbit Rabbit~

          7/05 Birmingham, AL — Avondale Brewing Company~ (SOLD OUT)

          7/06 Birmingham, AL — Avondale Brewing Company~

          7/09 New Braunfels, TX — WhiteWater Amphitheater~

          7/11 Morrison, CO — Red Rocks Amphitheater~ (SOLD OUT)

          7/12 Morrison, CO — Red Rocks Amphitheater~ (SOLD OUT)

          7/18 Bristol, UK — Exchange

          7/20 Manchester, UK — Band On The Wall

          7/21 London, UK — The Garage

          7/24 Brighton, UK — Prince Albert

          7/26 Paris, FR — Le Hasard Ludique

          7/27 Amsterdam, NL — Paradiso

          7/29 Hamburg, DE — Molotow

          7/30 Berlin, DE — Prachtwerk

          8/04 Saint Charles, IA — Hinterlands Music Festival 2022

          9/09 Bristol, TN — Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion 2022

          * with Jackie Hayes

          + with Mercury

          = with Future Crib

          ^ supporting Jack White

          ~ supporting Rainbow Kitten Surprise        

Rowdy and honest. These are the best two words to describe a Briston Maroney show. He performs with everything on the table and he doesn't shy away from who he is. Briston has seen so much success in the past year since Sunflower released, don't miss out. Last night was amazing.