Show Review: The War On Drugs....and Dude-Bros?

The Band:
The War on Drugs is an indie rock band from Philadelphia, PA.  Their main lineup consists of Adam Granduciel  (lyrics, vocals, guitar), David Hartley (bass), Robbie Bennett (keyboards), Charlie Hall (drums), Jon Natchez (saxophone, keyboards) and Anthony LaMarca (guitar). The band released their most recent studio album in 2017 and have been extensively touring for several years. I'd say their sound is best described as Tom Petty meets The Grateful Dead.

The Venue:
The show was held at The Van Buren in Downtown Phoenix. It fits up to 1,800 people and has ground floor standing only room or a mezzanine with seating upstairs.

The Show:
Well, it finally happened. The dude-bros and super hipsters found them.  I hate being that person that complains when bands they like get popular, but I can't help myself on this one.  The crowd at a show can truly make or break your experience, and sadly, this broke mine.

We went to see The War On Drugs at the Van Buren in Phoenix on Wednesday and while their performance was great, it wasn't as enjoyable of an experience as it had been when we saw them two years ago at The Pressroom.  It wasn't the increase in the size of the crowd that was the problem.  It was the increase in the ever-annoying "I have my phone out the whole time; going to spill my beer on you; dancing around like an idiot" crew that can sometimes come along when a band gains popularity.

Being bumped into with backpacks, etc. is just annoying when you're trying to enjoy a show.  While I did have my phone up for two songs (due to poor planning on my part) I minimized it because I know how frustrating that is to stand behind.

The band did a great job and played a mixture of songs from their latest album, A Deeper Understanding, as well as their more well-known songs like "Under the Pressure" and "Red Eyes" off Lost in the Dream. They added in a cover of Tom Petty's "Time to Move On," which I thought was a nice tribute.

In the end, we still had a good time, but we didn't stay for the encore.  By that point I just needed to get the hell away from that crowd and regain some of my sanity.  Sometimes, not even the best music can make up for people being jerks.

Regardless, The War on Drugs is a great rock band that puts on a great show. Check them out at www.thewarondrugs.net.