Fever Dream - Palaye Royale at the Palladium
Palaye Royale at the Palladium. Sunday night. Doors open at 6:30…Palaye Royale doesn’t go on ‘til 10pm. Is it worth the wait?
I first saw Palaye Royale last Spring when they opened for YUNGBLUD. Let’s just say I came for YUNGBLUD and left a Palaye Royale fan. The band has their own modern take on rock and roll with a kind of emo and punk twist. Formed in 2008 by brothers Sebastian, Remington and Emerson, the band has been going strong ever since. This past October, their latest album, “Fever Dream”, was released. Along with the release, Palaye concluded their “Fever Dream” tour, and I was very excited to be at the Hollywood Palladium for the final show. Fans were lined up around the block and then some. The night was filled with anticipation, adrenaline and, unfortunately, let downs.
The evening started with the opening act, Starbenders. Again, doors were at 6:30 and the band was on at 6:40 sharp. With that huge line going around the block, people were traipsing in as the band was already playing. I want to say I liked them. I really do, but the sound was so awful I couldn’t hear any vocals and the instruments (especially the bass) were so loud my ears were killing me from the start.
Luckily, the sound was fixed for opening act number two, (oh yeah and there’s more…many more…) carolesdaughter. I was not familiar with the artist prior to this evening but I’m glad she’s on my radar now. She performed with confidence and had a great backing band. The stage was filled with enthusiastic and talented musicians. A song that stood out to me was ‘please put me in a medically induced coma’. I hope not! Because then I couldn’t have heard her singing. carolesdaughter has amazing vocal control, even the way she held the mic was pro level, and she’s only nineteen! This is just the beginning for this young artist. I also want to add that her expressions and acting throughout each piece was top tier, especially during the performance of her song ‘Target Practice’.
Next up was phem, who I was particularly excited to see, since I saw her sing with Royal & the Serpent at the Roxy last year. Their song ‘girls’ is one of my favorites, so I was interested to see how she would perform solo. My verdict: she has a killer voice. Another enthusiastic performer with a great backing band. phem is also one of the co-writers on Palaye Royale’s “Fever Dream” album, so it was nice of them to include her as a special guest for this show.
However, call me old fashioned, but I don’t like having multiple openers. I could feel them rushing through their sets. Again, the show started at 6:40 and Palaye Royale, the band I came there to see, went on at 10pm! Oddly enough, there were also sound checks in between each band’s set that lasted almost thirty minutes! Maybe that’s how the Palladium runs things. If there had been a sound check prior to the evening’s show, there would be no reason to hold the audience captive with long ass mic checks, guitar tuning and set changes. No me gusta. During these transitions, the crowd, including myself, deflated. I saw people sitting down, yawning, and scrolling on their phones. At a rock concert? What really saved me was the transition music. Before the FOURTH opener, Mod Sun, came on, emo night had taken over. And I’m not complaining. The crowd and I were jamming to My Chemical Romance, Paramore, and Panic! At the Disco. Also, ‘Mr. Brightside’ got the crowd pumped. And before Palaye Royale came out, there was a medley of T. Rex, David Bowie and Rolling Stones songs to set the mood. Fun, but unnecessary. I came to see Palaye Royale live and I want to dance and sing along to their songs, not with bands I can play during the car ride home…One or two songs feels appropriate before a performance starts, but I swear they were playing a whole discography.
I need to mention that most of these artists were relying on a backing track. I want to find some way of justifying this because I’m all for supporting novice musicians. Thank God for Palaye Royale, because they were a real rock band. A band of talented musicians who were all playing live. No backtrack. As for the openers…not so much. I have heard about many musicians blowing their voices out on tour and having to cancel shows. And now some performers are basically lip synching. It feels like cheating. Mod Sun sang a duet with his fiance, Avril Lavigne who wasn’t even there. It was a recording. Weird. Maybe if there was a visual involved this song would’ve been better, like how Paul McCartney sang with John Lennon during his Got Back tour. Footage from the Beatles “Let it Be” rooftop concert was displayed on the screen behind McCartney during the duet “I’ve Got a Feeling”, a poignant and meaningful moment. Mod Sun’s duet felt awkward as he was singing along with a lone voice coming from a speaker. Again, weird.
But speaking of Mod Sun…
I will say he was my favorite opener. I wish it was just him as the sole opening act and then Palaye Royale. Mod Sun was happy, happy and happy. There’s not much more I can say. He really got the crowd hyped for the main event and you can tell he was absolutely thrilled to be there. Also, in my book, he was the most respectful artist there. He expressed his love and gratitude to Palaye Royale, the audience AND he was the only one who introduced his backing band. Mod Sun exclaimed to the crowd “it’s my job to make you guys feel good about yourselves…[let’s] celebrate how live music makes us feel!” His gratitude mixed with his candor and vulnerability when discussing his battle with addiction and the song he wrote about his experience, honestly, made me tear up. Then, when he said he wanted to play at the Palladium his whole life, HE teared up. Tears were shed and I have to give him credit for his class and openness. A real gem. Although not the greatest of singers, Mod Sun gets a 10/10 from me. I can ignore a few pitchy notes thanks to his excellent showmanship.
Now, the main event. Finally, at 10pm, Palaye Royale graced the stage. Immediately they were on fire and got the room jumping. I felt present for the first time all night. Singing along to my favorite song of theirs ‘No Love in LA’ was euphoric. Remington is a fantastic front man with an incredible voice and range. Emerson killed it on drums and piano. And Sebastian is a wizard on the guitar. Also, kudos to Andrew Berkeley Martin on rhythm guitar and to Logan Baudéan on bass. Both of these gentlemen know how to SELL IT! Especially Andrew. The crowd loves him, he knows it, and plays for all its worth. ‘Broken', a recent single off of ‘Fever Dream’ was a highlight for me, but something happened during the song ‘Punching Bag’. Remington stopped the show as he spotted someone in the crowd needing help. (Take notes Travis Scott). Although I couldn’t see what was happening, the band vacated the stage for a few minutes and I believe a security guard was sent to assist the audience member. After the band returned to the stage, the sound reverted to its lousy quality from the Starbenders set. Very bad. Suddenly, I couldn’t make out vocals again, as the instruments were insanely loud. I even noticed Andrew and Sebastian signaling to the techies backstage to fix their guitar volume. The friend I went to the show with cleverly made earplugs out of her drink napkin. Mixed with the crappy sound system and all the waiting, my friend and I dipped once Palaye finished ‘Punching Bag’. It’s okay though because we could listen to the rest of the concert, at a perfect volume, from outside the venue.
Ultimately, I felt the concert to be disappointing. I still am a big fan of Palaye Royale and no bad sound system, long sound checks or hours of waiting can take away their talent or my love for their music. But my final score is just a big thumbs down. If some small changes were made I think this show would’ve been better. When I saw them at the Shrine last March, there was not one hair out of place. So maybe it was just an off night for the Palladium, which unfortunately impacts the talent and the audience.
If you’ve not yet heard Palaye Royale, check out their latest release "Fever Dream" at the link below.
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