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Pop rock band SafetySuit brought down the house during their recent show at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco.

Concert Review: SafetySuit Live at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco, CA, 09/29/2012

Prior to wrapping up their recent fall tour, Nashville-based pop rock band SafetySuit headlined Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco, CA on September 29.

Supporting act, Florida-based rock band Go Radio, readied the crowd with their lively set, which featured songs off their recent release, Close the Distance. The crowd ate up their set and sang loudly along to songs like the band’s latest single, “Go to Hell.”

Shortly after Go Radio wrapped up their set, the lights lowered around 10:30 p.m. PST. SafetySuit band members Tate Cunningham (drums), Jeremy Henshaw (bass guitar), Brad Oliver (sitting in for Dave Garofalo on guitar), and Doug Brown (lead vocals/rhythm guitar) took the stage and launched into “Believe” off their latest full-length record, These Times.

The band’s unwavering energy allowed them to power through their hour-and-a-half, 14-song set, which featured a mix of songs from both of their records, Life Left to Go and the aforementioned These Times. You would think playing four or five nights a week would take a bit of a toll out on the band, but you wouldn’t be able to tell by the way they perform.

Brown had quite the stage presence about him, which he demonstrated as he moved his way through songs like “Annie” and “Let Go” with an air of confidence—and referred to the latter of the two tracks as “SafetySuit’s version of a pop song.” He also worked his charm on a young lady in the audience by dedicating the band’s performance of “Anywhere But Here” to her.

His obvious passion for performing comes across in the personable fashion in which he interprets songs on stage, and allows the band to create an immediate connection with their audience, who sang along to every song from start to finish.

Vocal-wise, Brown proved to be the real deal, as he showcased his range throughout the night, hitting some impressive notes during several songs, including Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”

SafetySuit’s music translates incredibly to the live show setting. Everything worked. The setlist flowed, the lights and production complemented the individual songs, and the unrivaled amount of energy the band put forth was beyond well-received by the audience. I think this was partly due to that fact that SafetySuit themselves looked as if they were having a great time on stage. At no point during the show did it feel like they were just going through the motions. When the band is genuinely having a good time on stage, that just makes the music and the live show atmosphere that much more enjoyable.

And speaking of the show’s atmosphere, SafetySuit seemed to go out of their way to make this show less about them and more about the audience.From Brown sharing words of encouragement prior to playing “These Times” – “If you take anything from this set, it’s that these times are hard, but they will pass.” – to the singer going out into the crowd during their hit, “Stay,” to giving high-fives, hugs, and taking photos, it was apparent that this band appreciates and supports their fan base just as much as their fans appreciate and support them.

So, between rockin’ the stage and showing love to their fans, SafetySuit proved that they know how to put on a top-notch live show experience that’s not to be missed.

For more information on SafetySuit, check out the band’s official website.

Photo credit: Kirsten Coachman

About Kirsten Coachman

Kirsten Coachman is a writer and editor from the San Francisco Bay Area. Visit her long-running music blog, Wait...WHAT, at waitwhatmusic.net. Follow Kirsten Coachman on Twitter: @KirsCoachman

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