Best Coast at Warner Theatre

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In the generation of Snapchat and Instagram where people are compelled to capture and share every waking moment of their lives, many contemporary artists, aware of this, are in a perpetual pose. I’ve noticed this at many contemporary artists’ shows as of late. All too aware of their audience’s smartphones, they often seem disingenuous at times.

Best Coast, a band whose debut album was released in 2010, before the smartphone craze really took off, were authentically themselves on Friday evening at Warner Theatre in DC. There wasn’t a moment that felt dishonest or too rehearsed-just real energy. Best Coast, hailing from Los Angeles, is comprised of Bethany Cosentino and Bobb Bruno who together create a powerful, polished, California punk sound. The band, currently opening for The Go-Go’s on their farewell tour, thanked the headliners at the beginning of their set on Friday, telling the crowd Best Coast probably wouldn’t exist without The Go-Go’s.

I imagine it’s hard to open for a band like The Go-Go’s, given their fan base's demographic, but with each song the applause grew louder. Highlights of the set included “California Nights,” “The Only Place,” and “Feeling Ok,” all of which received excited applause from the crowd and brought people seated in cushy theatre seats to their feet. All the while Cosentino and Bruno remaining as cool as ever on stage, visibly passionate and excited to be performing. A personal favorite from the set was “Our Deal,” a beautifully heart wrenching song that I have loved since first hearing it years ago ( I recommend watching the video for it). By the end of the band’s final song Best Coast had the crowd on their feet as Bethany fell to the floor shredding her guitar.

The Breakdown:

The Crowd: A LOT of drunk dads.

Seen: Male in Adidas tracksuit standing to clap after every song. Royal Tenenbaums anyone?

Note: Boyfriend” will always remind me of summers spent working at The Gap-it was ALWAYS on the playlist.

Keep up with Best Coast at the links below.

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