Nashville-based band Moon Taxi performed an exciting set Thursday night, complete with keyboard smashing and plenty of hair flips from singer Trevor Terndrup. The Blue Note was the band’s seventh stop on a tour that continues into June, following the release of its most recent album.
The band’s newest LP, _Let the Record Play_, came out in January of this year, and the group played almost every track from the album. Terndrup brought energy and life to the stage throughout the entire set, running from one side of the stage to the other, doing lunges in time with the music and lifting his guitar up in front of him. He connected with individual audience members, smiling and making eye contact with people singing along in the crowd. This made the show feel more intimate.
The band has an alternative rock sound with a slight twang that comes from its Southern roots. The five members came together in Nashville in 2006, and since the formation of the band, it has come out with five albums and played at festivals like Coachella alongside years of touring. Terndrup told the audience Thursday night was the group’s first time in Columbia. It was easy to see that everyone onstage was excited to be there and happy to be performing. Each person onstage has an infectious, positive presence that gave the show a wholesome feel. Their genuine smiles and the way they interacted onstage throughout the concert showed their close connection.
“Trouble” from the band’s new album was a highlight of the night. The song gave guitarist Spencer Thomson and keyboardist Wes Bailey a chance to dazzle concertgoers with stunning solos, and the crowd was excited and engaged, holding up peace signs and singing along. Another memorable moment was the song “Red Hot Lights.” The stage was fittingly lit up red, and everyone on the floor was dancing.
Terndrup’s Tennessee drawl came out when he sang “River Water,” a song from Moon Taxi’s 2013 album, _Mountains Beaches Cities_. The bridge had the audience singing along as Terndrup repeated, “And we danced in the river water.” The energy of the song built and built in a way that is only possible at a live show.
The first song of the encore was “Morocco,” one of Moon Taxi’s most popular songs. This was when bassist Tommy Putnam lifted a keyboard above his head and, to the audience’s delight, smashed it on the ground, sending pieces of plastic flying. The band ended with “Two High,” a song inspired by the peace sign. By the end of the night, nearly everyone in the crowd was holding two peace signs in the air.
_Edited by Brooke Collier | bcollier@themaneater.com_