Concert Review: The Summer Set - Gettin’ Down On A Tuesday Afternoon

Words by: Emily Racanelli

Stephen Gomez (front) gazing into the crowd as
Bowen (back) goes crazy mid solo.

It’s 11 o’ clock in the morning, and while most of the world is situated into their weekday routine at work or school, a small crowd begins to form on the massive football field at Nassau Community College. The barricade is up, the instruments tuned, and a banner hangs from both sides of the stage warning patrons not to crowd surf or mosh. The Summer Set, a quintet from Scottsdale, Arizona, walks onto the platform to start their soundcheck. The anticipation builds as vocalist Brian Logan Dales does vocal warm-ups into the mic, sampling a variety of Top 40 songs. While the band’s new sound guy tries to get his act together, guitarists John Gomez and Josh Montgomery adjust the distortion on the instruments, while bassist Stephen Gomez (not a coincidence, John’s his brother!) lays out a killer riff of low notes. The crowd builds as drummer Jess Bowen takes the stage, showcasing her remarkable talent with consecutive triple bass kicks. With hearts pumping and the sun beating down, The Summer Set walks off the stage to check the backing tracks they have stored on a MacBook.

Overtly excited from having the chance to watch soundcheck, the audience gets rowdy as 11:45 rolls around and that MacBook starts to play a familiar intro. The band walks on the stage (for real this time) and kicks off the set with Lightning In A Bottle. Aside from the typical upbeat poppy vibe that The Summer Set is known for, the lyrics make it all the better. During the chorus, Dales sings the words every kid in their teens adopts as a motto, “We’re catching lightning in a bottle/Don’t give a f*ck about tomorrow!” It’s safe to say that with the amount of recklessness that occurs in college, it’s pretty obvious why everyone sung that line particularly louder than the rest of the song.

 Bowen with her signature hair whip.

While Lightning In A Bottle (a single off latest album Legendary) had the crowd amped, it was no match for the chaos that ensued during the throwback Chelsea. A classic TSS song, it brings back memories of being 12 years old and dancing around your room after falling head over heels (or head over spiked boots?--Don’t judge, it was that “No one understands me and I only shop at Hot Topic” phase!) for that new love interest. Montgomery spins around the stage while Dales sings with the crowd, “Chelsea, Chelsea, tell me you love me!/I think it’s ‘bout time we get down, get down/I want more.” Yes, I most definitely wanted more of that fun, poppy music.

           

In a scene overwhelmed with bands who focus on breakups, (Mayday Parade) self-harm, (Pierce The Veil) and addiction (Beartooth), it’s good to have songs that balance it out by not taking life so seriously. Don’t get me wrong, this powerful music is the reason why we get hooked to pop punk to begin with, it’s comforting. However, sometimes you just want to listen to something that doesn’t make your chest ache. For those times, The Summer Set is a go-to.

           

Albeit optimistic, TSS does hit a nerve on occasion, such as with the song Mannequin. Probably one of the band’s more emotional hits, it starts off with Dales toning his voice down an octave singing, “You and I fell apart like a rag doll torn at the seams/Then he came in, stitched up the pieces like some kind of hero.” He stutters and chokes through each word, making it obvious that these lyrics--which he wrote--have a personal meaning to them. The song crescendos into a heartbreaking power ballad, with Bowen violently attacking the symbols and drawing the crowd’s attention during the chorus. She tosses her backwards baseball cap off and asserts her presence as one of the most talented drummers in the alternative scene. Instead of keeping the beat, Bowen engages with the lyrics. Her drumming in tandem with the words, “He’ll pick you up just to knock you down/One day I’ll see you both in hell” is a reminder as to why The Summer Set is a novelty in the pop punk scene. They maintain the emotional depth and can still keep the audience dancing.

           

This diversity came through when the band covered the song Sing by Ed Sheeran. Dales hopped off the stage and joined the crowd in the field as he rapped through the verses and (remarkably) mastered the extremely high-pitched chorus. Originally, the song is solid, but I’d have to say that TSS’s amped up version, complete with real drums and guitars, is even better!

           

Once everyone settled down from being able to be within arms-length of Dales, the concert was drawing to a close. It was capped off with Boomerang, arguably one of the most well known songs by The Summer Set. John Gomez played the song’s signature opening acoustic guitar segment while Bowen joined in with a steady bass/snare drumbeat. It was the perfect way to end the day--err, afternoon.

When the group walked off the stage and the crowd started to disperse, reality finally set in that it was only 1 o’ clock in the afternoon on a Tuesday. The Summer Set would be flying to their next destination, and I would drive home to study for my Spanish test. The day wasn’t even half over, and already it was memorable. It exemplified that there are definitely some perks to being in college, such as getting out of class at 11 a.m. and driving down the road to see one of your favorite bands play on a weekday afternoon.

You can catch The Summer Set mellowing out on the We Like It Quiet Acoustic tour this summer in support of Sleeping With Sirens!

Setlist I received after repeatedly harassing the people dismantling the stage, signed by drummer Jess Bowen.

Dales (front) singing while John Gomez (left) tunes his guitar.