Echosmith’s ‘Dream’ Tour: a Lyrical Vision

Indie pop rock trio Echosmith returned to the stage after the release of their EP with the Inside a Dream tour visiting 25 cities. The band of siblings, formed in 2009, hit high success in 2013 with the release of their single Cool Kids, accumulating over 1,200,000 sales in the U.S. alone, and reaching number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 list. Concluding their shows in Texas, the band had their most recent concert at Emo’s on May 6, and featured two opening performances.

Taking the stage first was 17-year-old Texas native Jena Rose. For such a young artist, Rose made her mark with a bold, powerful voice. Her music fit well with Echosmith’s pop vibe, but also brought some sweetness to the stage with original songs like The Boy With the Balloon. In the audience there were girls Rose’s age that went to highschool with her and had come to cheer her on. While she had a multitude of talent, Rose did not get the crowd going as much as she could have. Her stage presence, while not bad, still felt like a high school girl. With a little more experience, she could definitely find new ways to engage her audience.

After a little lag time in between, the next act did not disappoint. A two man band, The Score, brought back real guitar solos accompanied by spectacular vocals. I came into this concert without any previous knowledge about the music from all three artists, and The Score’s songs were my favorites of the whole show and their performance was one of the best parts of the night. No song felt like a repeat of the last, and both lead men were equally as charismatic and entertaining. Their songs were all Indie pop rock like Echosmith, but their guitar definitely shined through and, at some points, stole the show. The Score brought up the energy and was a great choice for an opener and honestly, if the concert had just been them, I still would have gone home happy.

Two giant shots of confetti later, Echosmith finally took the stage opening with an array of lights and high energy. The show was full of vivid and bright colors that really reflected the idea of being inside a dream, like the tours name. In a polluted music world full of auto tuned pop princesses, Echosmith was a breath of fresh air showcasing lead singer Sydney Sierota’s beautiful voice with her brothers, Noah and Graham, as backup. The group had an amazing stage presence and really interacted with the crowd by handing out flowers, filming when everyone sang along, bringing the opening bands on stage to throw balloons, and pulling a fan from the audience on stage to sing with Sydney.

While the group’s talent cannot be questioned, I did feel like something was missing. As the concert progressed the songs became increasingly similar and the verses were very repetitive. Of course not every song has to be 100% different from the last because you still want an EP to feel connected, but there was never that moment of “Oh wow I really love this song,” because none really stood out. All of this being said, these issues didn’t take away from the overall experience. In some way, the repetitiveness actually made the crowd more hyped because each verse got louder and louder. I could also see it helped fans learn the words to songs they may not have been as familiar with. After listening to the songs live and in person versus from my phone, I can definitely say Echosmith’s music is more fun and entertaining live.

I had no unpleasant experience the entire night and really did enjoy the entire show from start to finish. I had only heard of Echosmith and listened to one of their songs before the show, but I can definitely say I left with a new appreciation for their talent and hard work. I also found two brand new artists that I really enjoyed and plan on continuing to listen to as well.