I arrive at the Rt. 20 Outhouse in Sturtevant, Wisconsin for Shallow Side with special guest Spoken after a two hour drive through freezing rain and heavy fog. The venue is very small, with more room for dining than standing in a pit. Opening local rock group DayRollers are working through the second half of their set. They have a small amount of crowd support on the dance floor, but the majority of the crowd is eating at their tables.
Up next is faith-based rock band Spoken. They’re considerably heavier in style than the other bands on the bill. The crowd that was in the pit has dispersed, moving back to tables to eat, or leaving altogether. Despite having no pit support, Spoken put on a fairly intense and emotionally-charged set. I really enjoyed their performance, but I do feel that they were out of place on the bill simply due to their heavier style. It’s worth noting that a couple did try to slow dance to one of their songs, a curious and admirable attempt, but ultimately unsuccessful.
With the rain still coming down and beginning to freeze outside, the few people left at the show are clearly the dedicated Shallow Side fans. The lead singer noted that he was under the weather as well, attributing it to “Wisconsin frozen vocals,” and requested the small crowd assist him at times. After a few songs they seemed to divert from the regularly planned setlist, as they went into a medley, including Eminem, AC/DC, and Michael Jackson covers. This was also a good way to keep the small crowd engaged and singing along.
The set was cut a bit short, which I could attribute to many factors including the singer’s vocal troubles, the terrible weather outside, or the crowd of 15 people. Every time they asked what song the crowd wanted to hear, they cheered for “Renegade.” As they played their last song, “Rebel,” the few people left still chanted for “one more song,” to which the band responded by playing their cover of “Renegade” by Styx. This show was a bit of a special case, with a lot of negative elements all coming together, however I’m glad Shallow Side did their best to please their fans who had braved the icy conditions to come support them.
Setlist
Revival
All Rise
No More
Cover Medley
Fight It
Can You Hear Me
Sound the Alarm
Hallelujah
Rebel
Renegade (Styx cover)
SHALLOW SIDE have a few more gigs coming up for the rest of this year. Check out the gig dates below:
Thu. 11/21- Diesel Concert Lounge in New Baltimore, Michigan
Fri. 11/22- Riverfront Live in Cincinnati, Ohio
Sat. 11/23- The Foundry in Jackson, Michigan
Sun. 11/24- The Electric Co. in Mansfield, Ohio
For tickets and further information on any of the gigs listed above, click here.
Fans can find SHALLOW SIDE at the following locations:
www.facebook.com/ShallowSideBand
www.twitter.com/shallowsideband
www.youtube.com/shallowsidemusic
