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Show Lineup: Desert Child, Alt. Bloom, The Strike
Genre: Alt. Pop/Rock
Venue: Club Congress, Downtown Tucson, AZ
Date: 02/16/25
Description:
The Strike came to Tucson for their first ever show in the city! They've visited northern Arizona on tour before, but Tucsonians can be excited that they have finally arrived here at home (saving us a drive!). Touring their most recent album, A Dream Through Open Eyes, the Utah-based band put on a phenomenal performance worthy of much praise. The openers, Desert Child and Alt. Bloom, both hyped up the venue to the point of jumping and dancing. Hopefully The Strike will come back soon!
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The Strike's newest album, A Dream Through Open Eyes, was one of the best albums of the year in 2024 (in my humble yet correct opinion). They had been releasing singles so raise excitement about the album, and it worked perfectly. After selling out a show in Phoenix last fall, they returned to Arizona for another show. I personally have been looking forward to it for months.
Club Congress provided the perfect venue for a show like this. The small-stage atmosphere made the energy in the room palpable, everyone was in it together. When Desert Child took the stage, I was surprised and excited because shockingly, I recognized the boys on stage! I saw them perform with Quarters of Change and The Hails (two more excellent bands I recommend) last fall. After the show, I spoke with the band members and found out that they are a U-of-A-based band and play opener gigs all around the city for different bands. I saw them again this past weekend at a small house show, and I recommend giving their Instagram a look to find where they'll play next! Desert child is definitely one of the strongest local bands I've seen, and on top of that, they're a bunch of great guys to hang out with and talk to.
Anyways, back to The Strike. After Alt. Bloom played an emotional yet fun set (with quite a lot of intersong banter which I always love), The Strike took the stage as the opening chords of "American Dream" washed over the audience. They came out to raucous applause and electrified the room with the track. They proceeded to play highlights from each of their albums, including "Overtime", "Faint of Heart", and "The Getaway". After ending the night on that last song, they moved to leave the stage, but were met with more applause and chants of "ONE MORE SONG! ONE MORE SONG!" In my head, all I could think was, "there's no way they WON'T play 'Devils in the Canyon'". And of course they did. They rocked the room into oblivion, leaving everyone on a high note with a great song stuck in their head for the night.
The Strike, Alt. Bloom, and Desert Child put on a great show, I was thoroughly impressed. I don't know when the Strike will be back in Tucson, but I can't wait to see them again! Hopefully I'll see you there too! Until next time!
Reviewer Name: Bennett Greenfield
Date of Review: 02/24/2025
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