Thousands marched for the climate in the nation’s capitol Saturday afternoon, including indie rock group Pinegrove, hours before their sold out show at D.C.’s Rock & Roll Hotel.
The blistering temperatures followed the crowd into the venue as fans packed the stage in anticipation of the Montclair, New Jersey natives notorious for intertwining heart-on-your sleeve lyrics with Americana-rock.
The group, led by frontman Evan Stephens Hall, pleased their sweaty audience with infamous tracks from 2016’s Cardinal as well as older tracks from 2015’s compilation Everything So Far—all in combination with Hall’s wit and light-hearted stage presence.
The crowd perfectly mirrored Hall’s energy: bursting during the climax of “New Friends” and appropriately contracting with the the folk build-up of “Aphasia.” Older hits like “ The Metronome”—in fact, the band’s first— resonated just as well as the ever-popular “Old Friends.” Fans shouted in favor of “Recycling” and even convinced Hall to play the one minute, 40 second “Angelina” twice in a row.
Philadelphia folk-rock singer Shannen Moser set the impressive tone for the night as the newest member of the Lame-O Records family, while Austin, Texas lo-fi duo Hovvdy soothed ears with pleasantly dark melodies.
Featured Photo Credit: Lead vocalist and lyricist Evan Stephens Hall of Montclair, New Jersey indie-rock group Pinegrove performs in front of a sold out crowd at D.C.’s Rock & Roll Hotel Saturday, April 29, 2017 (Jordan Stovka/Bloc Reporter).
Jordan Stovka is a sophomore journalism major and can be reached at jstovka@icloud.com.