The Greeting Committee @ Mahall’s: quintessential, intimate, stunning
lakewood, ohio - july 20, 2024
It was a typical summer evening in Northeast Ohio: slightly muggy with a gorgeous dusky sky. Madison Ave in Lakewood, a suburb of Cleveland, was quiet. A few people milled about the outside of the nondescript building that is Mahall’s — one would never know just by looking that it houses a fun, retro music venue where The Greeting Committee was about to put on the show of a lifetime.
A quick preface: I don’t usually get personal in reviews, but a show such as this warrants some context and flair.
The opening band, TOLEDO, featured two band members whose smooth harmonies lifted the spirits of the room. In the time between when TOLEDO exited the stage and before The Greeting Committee entered, the crowd was abuzz. TOLEDO did exactly what a good opening band should do — they performed well while still garnering interest and excitement for the main act. And what a main act it was.
The show began dramatically, band members appearing on stage and instrumentals beginning to build. Finally, lead singer Addie Sartino sauntered on stage. She jumped straight into the first track of the show, “Tell Me I’m Wrong.” While her rich vocals immediately captivated the crowd, it was clear that the entire band was enthusiastic and feeling the beat.
It became instantly apparent that this was a quintessential indie pop show. The venue had that magical, transformative nature where all individuals in the room became one entity. The show was perfect; Sartino and the band were delivering the kind of quality performance that could have sold out a stadium, but we were getting to witness it in an intimate, one room venue. To put it simply, I knew I was about to have a great night.
By the second song, “Is This It?,” the crowd was fully engaged. Sartino called out “Ooh, is this it?” When she pointed, the crowd eagerly responded with the next lyric, “Ooh, is this all there is?” Despite the more existential theme of the lyrics, the performance was lively. The energy remained high for “17” as everyone clapped and jumped along to the beat. Leading up to the chorus, Sartino sang, “I know something you don’t,” emphasizing every word and building the perfect amount of tension.
Sartino has the remarkable, coveted ability to make it feel like she is singing directly to you — I am positive that everyone in the room felt that way. This stood out in the fourth song, “Little Bit More.” Someone in the crowd had brought a bubble wand — bubbles floated out in front of the stage and created a whimsical atmosphere.
Photo via @thegcband on Instagram
The Greeting Committee @ Mahall’s, Lakewood, OH
“Little Bit More” bled smoothly into the next track, “Sex and Taxes.” Here, Sartino’s high notes of the chorus were impressive. Toward the end of the song, a bandmate handed Sartino an electric guitar, and she went wild while the same bandmate began pouring his whole heart into the saxophone. These instrumentals at the end set the song apart.
“You’ve Got Me” proved to be a fun rendition, where the crowd clapped and sang the last chorus without Sartino’s assistance. The words “If you need me, you can find me / Giving you everything, for always and evermore / What's there to look for / When you're looking right through” echoed through the room, and the audience would have happily kept repeating them were it not for Sartino cutting everyone off by saying “done!” with a hint of amusement.
It can be hard to predict which songs will be the most captivating when heard live. While I, of course, enjoy “popmoneyhits” as a recorded track, I was blown away by the entire band’s performance. Sartino summed up a generational dilemma, singing “I want everything and nothing all at once.” The drummer was show stopping in this song, and it was especially exciting when other bandmates took turns hitting the drums as well.
It was then that Sartino addressed the crowd directly for the first time, thanking us for coming. Then, she moved into what was another highlight of the night, “Where’d All My Friends Go?” The song ended with a heartfelt admission: “Don't know why I need your attention / Don't know why I did it again.”
The next two songs, “Can I Leave Me Too?” and “Sort Of Stranger” showcased how versatile the band is with their performance style. Both are songs with more somber themes, but the former was played to be upbeat and dance-worthy, whereas the latter was delicate and serious.
On that note, seeing “Sort Of Stranger” live will be a moment that I’ll never forget. This song has been incredibly significant to me, and there was a period of time when I listened to it constantly. Sometimes, however, I am nervous to see songs that have a great impact on me played live, for fear that they won’t live up to expectations. That was not the case here. “Sort Of Stranger” live was moving.
The show took an exciting twist for “Bird Hall” when Sartino climbed onto a platform, towering over the crowd. She remained up there for the next track, a cover of Billie Eilish’s “BIRDS OF A FEATHER.” The crowd cheered her on, even when she hopped down and back onto the stage.
After an excellent performance of “Cyclical,” the band began playing “Call In The Morning.” The crowd was unprepared for what was about to happen, and was stunned when Sartino climbed off the stage and slowly descended into the audience. An aisle was parted for her, and an awed hush befell everyone in the room. The song is gripping in nature, but her proximity created a truly intimate, even more stirring version.
It is important to note the heavy topic of the song, which focuses on a loved one struggling with mental health. I imagine it would be difficult to play this kind of song live; it seems that it’d be entirely possible to sugarcoat the intensity, or be unable to capture the severity of the topic and lyrics. Is it possible to make a whole room full of separate people feel the same emotion of desperation? For The Greeting Committee, it was. When it came time for the bridge, Sartino screamed out “Call the police / Call the police” with rising urgency for each repetition. Her voice broke with raw emotion. It was a riveting performance, both in subject and delivery. It is the kind of moment I think everyone should witness, both in the true talent displayed, as well as the importance of the song’s message.
After that, Sartino took a slight breather and let her bandmates play most of “Don’t Talk” as an instrumental track. For the last chorus, she appeared back on stage and sang it out. Next, in regards to her performance style, she explained, “I’m trying this thing where I do what I want,” and went on to say that we were getting to see her having fun.
The next track was “Hands Down,” which put everyone in a jovial mood. It set the scene for the next two on the list, “Make Out” and “How It Goes.” Sartino smiled at her bandmates then left the stage, but urged fans to continue paying attention to those still playing their instruments. When the crowd continued to cheer, she reappeared to sing the final track of the night, “Pull It Together.”
In all seriousness, I’ve seen close to fifty bands in concert, both as a journalist and fan, at venues ranging from 90,000 person capacity stadiums to a makeshift platform stage at a bar. The Greeting Committee was absolutely within the top five I’ve seen, both in terms of overall atmosphere as well as the quality and noteworthiness of performance. I go into shows generally expecting to enjoy them, but after this one, I walked out feeling refreshed, inspired, and reminded of why I love concerts so much.
