X Ambassadors at Irving Plaza
X Ambassadors embarked on their North American tour beginning in April to celebrate the release of their latest album, Townie. The band is composed of Sam Nelson Harris (vocals and guitar), Casey Harris (keys), Russ Flynn (guitar and bass), and Adam Levin (drums). Regarding the newest album, vocalist Sam Harris explains that, “I am a townie. I will always be a townie. To deny that is to deny everything that I am.”
Photo via Tori McGraw (@afterr.hourrs)
Photo via Tori McGraw (@afterr.hourrs)
X Ambassadors took the stage at Irving Plaza following Rowan Drake and New West. The crowd filled to the far back of the venue, and pooled into spaces wherever they could fit. There were layers of people lining the upper balcony, elbows on the railing leaning forward with their eyes locked to the stage. The lights in the venue momentarily went completely dark as each band member walked out onto the stage, three in a line in the front of the stage, with the drummer placed behind making a perfect triangle formation from above.
With each person walking onto the stage, cheers arose from the crowd. Immediately the band kicked into the beginning of “Renegades,” which was identifiable by the steady acoustic guitar rhythm. Sam was swaying back and forth while keeping perfect acoustic guitar rhythm with bass and drums. While singing the first few lines of the song, Sam looked down at the crowd in front of him, then to the right side of the balcony as his eyes followed the trace of the railing, seemingly taking in the moment.
The bass and drums were deeply connected like the opposite poles of a magnet, their sounds together vibrating through the floor and up through the body. The powerful duo stabilized each song throughout their set. The acoustic guitar and keys were lighter and felt like a soft top layer that perfectly straddled light and dark sounds. Immediately, as “Renegades” ended, without missing a single beat, the band started “No Strings” in a split second, an almost unnoticeable transition. As the second song ended, Sam paused and came up to the mic. “New York City, what the fuck is up?” he asked with a smile as the crowd erupted into cheers. He began by introducing the new record, “Townie,” which he spoke fondly of later in the show. “Have you guys listened to the new record?” Sam asked with excitement as people began cheering just as the last syllable slipped out.
Sam went on to explain the band's joy regarding their newest album. “We are so proud of this thing, man. It's all about being from upstate New York. We’re from upstate New York. A lot of pride and joy from that place. And these songs came from a deep well…there was a lot of digging and a lot of external excavation that had to happen for this record. It's a very personal one for us.”
Photo via Tori McGraw (@afterr.hourrs)
X Ambassadors continued by playing songs from their expansive discography. A few included, “Smoke On The Highway,” “Ahead Of Myself,” and “Adreneline,” before pausing and sharing more memories about creating their new record. “Anybody here grow up in a small town? You will hopefully understand me when I say this with all the genuine love and affection in my heart, I fucking hated growing up in a small town. Oh god, I hated it. I moved here the second I could. This was the land of opportunity. The second I got to Brooklyn I was like, ‘I'm from Brooklyn now.’ None of that shit works. I will always be a townie kid. I owe so much to that place and those people. I owe so much to upstate New York and Ithaca New York.”
X Ambassadors finished their set with “Unsteady,” which began with a soft yet dynamic piano intro in which the crowd silently listened and appreciated. The lights changed and spotlighted each member as the vocals came in. After the first line, Sam held the mic out to the crowd who finished off the intro line of lyrics until the beat dropped and the drums entered.
Photo via Tori McGraw (@afterr.hourrs)