Concert Review: The Wrecks and Arlie at Zydeco

The night started with an energetic set by Arlie. The music as well as the production felt like a water balloon fight in the middle of the summer. As the first spotlights shone onto the stage, Arlie came out wearing his iconic glasses and bright colored suit, and accompanied by color-coded animated musicians, they delivered mind clearing melodies.

In between jumps and laughs, the delivery of "Big Fat Mouth" was heartwarming to be part of, as Arlie interacted with the crowd and made everyone sing the catchy riff. It is a known fact that Arlie is a relatively new artist, but somehow, he makes it feel exhilaratingly nostalgic every time he gets close to the mic. After this, the performance of "Didya Think", followed by an instrumental interlude, was nothing short of total melodic ecstasy. He took a saxophone and captivated hundreds of people. 

At Zydeco, Birmingham, Arlie delivered an incredible set. He knows how to catch the audience’s attention and create an image to sustain that attention. It won’t be a surprise to see Arlie’s music reach higher heights soon. 

Already warmed up by Arlie’s sax solos, the audience received The Wrecks with exited shouts and enthusiastic energies. As their first track was performed –"Out of Style"—The Wrecks made it impossible not to sing your heart out. The vivacious crowd almost burst Zydeco’s low ceiling when Nick Anderson –the band’s lead vocalist—got close to the mosh pit, and as the first track came to an end, Anderson giggled “let’s not stop the party”. The set list continued as follows:

          1. Out of Style

          2. Figure This Out

          3. James Dean

          4. Feels So Nice

          5. I Love This Part

          6. Things You Make Me Do

          7. Normal

          8. Sonder

          9. Unholy 

          10. Panic Vertigo

          11. Freaking Out

          12. This Life I Have

          13. Fvck Somebody

          14. Infinitely Ordinary 

          15. Where Are You Now?

          16. Favorite Liar

Nick Schmidt and Aaron Kelley, lead guitarist and bassist respectively, could not stay in one place as they played their song "James Dean". Teasing the crowds with mind blowing riffs became their favorite activity. 

The Wrecks not only charm you with their songs but with their humorous personalities too. In between rehearsed tracks, special candid moments were shared as Anderson let his personality loose. He clearly has a talent for captivating people, a factor that is necessary when connecting with the crowd. Anderson even passed the mic around the audience for them to sing with the band. Continuing with the night’s nostalgic atmosphere, The Wrecks made Zydeco time travel into a 1990s punk rock pub. 

Before it was time to say goodbye, Nick Anderson gifted us an acoustic version of "Where Are You Now?", an extremely emotional track, to then end the night with The Wrecks’ performance of "Favorite Liar".  

The Wrecks, along with Arlie, will continue spreading their charismatic smiles across the west coast for 4 more dates:

          11/16 Tucson, AZ -- Hotel Congress*

          11/17 San Diego, CA -- House of Blues San Diego*

          11/18 Pomona, CA -- The Glass House*

          11/19 Ventura, CA -- The Majestic Ventura Theatre*

          * with Arlie