Emarosa Concert @ The Burl: Review
Eight at night on Monday, October 23th, I walked into The Burl for the first time to see Lexington-based post-hardcore band Emarosa perform along with their openers Jule Vera and A Lot Like Birds, all bands associated with genres I tend to like. I was unfamiliar with the venue since I had not lived in Lexington long but the welcoming atmosphere, the now familiar hardwood floors and the beautiful mural outside are sure to keep me coming back for more.
Unfortunately, I arrived at the venue late. On the website where I bought my tickets, the time said 21:00, meaning 9 o’clock. However, it was only until later I realized, when I reviewed my ticket, the event actually started at 8. I had started looking at the ticket at 7:50. “We aren’t very good with our times,” replied the staff when I asked about the discrepancy. So to share some advice: take a mental note to always check your ticket time when going to The Burl. Even then, you might want to get there an hour early.
I arrived at The Burl as soon as the first act, Jule Vera, a band often labeled as rock, wrapped up their set with their most popular song “Bad Company”. It is my favorite song of theirs and I had missed it by 2 minutes. Through my disappointment, I made my way to the front of the stage and watched the next band, A Lot Like Birds, begin to set up.
When I had listened to the band on Spotify prior to the concert, I was not extremely impressed. I’m afraid to say my opinion on their music did not change after I saw them live. The vocals were barely existent, probably due to poor mixing, the drums were mediocre and nothing truly stood out about them.
However, A Lot Like Birds wasn’t all bad. I walked away from the concert knowing that the members are quite friendly people. They thanked their audience with grand sincerity and they were sure to return all smiles and high-fives possible. I even bonded over Harry Potter with bassist and vocalist Matt Coate.
After the chat, it was time for the main event: Emarosa. To begin, when Walden walked on stage, a kind of electricity could be felt moving through the crowd. As my knees knocked against the two-foot-tall stage, I looked up, almost at a 90 degree angle, completely in awe at the presence of something amazing.
Walden had an undeniable charisma that drew one to him almost instantly and it could later be felt by the entire crowd as he ventured off the stage at least five times. He performed with an aggressive passion; watching his body move, almost spastically, and his facial expressions contort with the mood of the music was astounding and magnetic.
During their last two songs of the night, “Sure” and “Cloud 9”, their two most popular songs, Emarosa was attacked by the other bands touring via toilet paper rolls which were strewn about the venue and many people left with toilet paper scarves, including me. Many people crowd surfed towards the end of the set list and, through the chaos, I could see I was surrounded by smiles and happy hearts.
Overall, the concert was a wild ride and absolutely amazing. I would love to see Emarosa live again once I know their songs better and I would love to get another chance to see Jule Vera. The concert I attended was the last concert of the three band tour and I feel very lucky to have witnessed the finale of something great.
