Good Kid @ the Filmore

Good Kid’s grip on the indie genre is tight, and their live performances only prove why further.

The Fillmore Music hall is always busy, up to four bands play a night during most weekends. With so many bands going in and out of the hall, it can be easy to miss a band every so often. Good Kid’s performance is one that any regular would be devastated to miss. Fans wearing outfits based on the band’s unique album art filled up the line as early as they could. The line itself went just out of eyeshot right before the doors opened and people flooded the merch line. For good reason, almost everything had left the shelves by the time the night had ended and both bands had left their mark on stage. The opening act, Inoha, also showcased their spirit for the indie genre before with their starting setlist.

While not the first tour the band had, this one was still special. It was to celebrate their debut album, “Can We Hang Out Sometime?”. While the band has released a plethora of EPs and singles and built their fanbase off of that alone, their first album is proving to leave just as much, if not more of an impact on their following. Good Kid has a very strong hold on the indie genre, being modern giants themselves as well as having their first tour open with the previously mentioned Inoha, and the UK leg of the tour seeing “Last Dinosaurs" cover in their stead. 

Not having toured before, the fanbase was extremely excited to see both bands take the stage together. Inoha’s set ended punctually as the crowd managed to intermingle with one fan specifically who had gained popularity for a plush seal they had brought from home. The crowd even managed to incorporate it into chants demanding for the next set to start early. After around only 20 minutes of change time, Good Kid took the stage and it was obvious this setlist wouldn’t be a slow one. 

Immediately starting off with “Wall”, one of the most popular songs off the debut album, the room showcased its love for the band by reciting every lyric back to “Nick Frosst”, the lead singer. The room clearly enjoyed itself since crowd surfing had already started before the track had ended. As the show continued, at around the halfway point of the show, “Jacob Tsafatinos”, one of the band's guitarists, called for someone to come up and “represent their city”. Every night the band pulled someone from the crowd and had them play one of their tracks with them, on Guitar Hero. The "representative" for Philadelphia seemed confident, as it was apparent why once the song started. This random fan, on stage with the band, managed to score a 98% on the song, putting Philadelphia in 1st place for the band’s tour competition. 

The rest of the night saw just as much energy from that point on, the band bringing up multiple times how impressive the score was in between songs, and continuing to be just as lively as the start. What made Good Kid’s performance special is that they don’t feel like the band talking to their crowd, they feel like friends catching up after not seeing each other, and having a conversation about something both sides are just as passionate about. If any other indie bands want to learn something from Good Kid, it’s that being authentic brings in those who truly love what you do.

Photos by Tristan Reiser