Red Sun Rising + Spirit Animal @ The Orpheum, Tampa , FL

On the night before Thanksgiving when people have that last hurrah of fun before family comes to town, the lucky folks in Tampa’s Ybor city section got out and caught Red Sun Rising at The Orpheum. With their new album Thread, they are out supporting it on the We Are Thread Together tour. In addition to the new album, proceeds of the show go to a very worthy cause, for mental health awareness and suicide prevention through Music Cares. Supporting Red Sun Rising on tonight’s show were Spirit Animal and Dube’.
One of the fun parts of going to concerts is getting exposed to new music by the supporting bands. Tonight’s show was a perfect example of that. With two supporting acts on the bill, fans got to see some great new up and coming acts. First to take the stage was Dube’. This trio hailing from Ottawa Canada features Jan on bass guitars and lead vocals, Liam the guitarist, and Quinn the drummer. This alternative rock band put on a fun and spirited show. A nice surprise was Dave McGarry guitarist for Red Sun Rising joined them for one song. During their show, at one point the guitarist even switched to a hockey stick that was turned into a guitar.

Next up on the stage was Brooklyn, NY based Spirit Animal. The band was formed in 2010 when singer Steve Cooper and Bassist Paul Michel met guitarist Carl Stamp and drummer Ronen Evron. With three Ep’s and two full length albums under their belt, including their latest release Born Yesterday, they are definitely a worthy addition to the tour. Playing a set that relied heavily from their latest release, the crowd was really enjoying it and singing along with them.

Finally, it was time for the guys from Akron Ohio, Red Sun Rising to take the stage. With this being their first time, they are headlining a tour, it was now their opportunity to show they deserved the lion’s share of stage time. Opening their set with “Veins” from their latest effort Thread, they were on fire and this really set the tone for the evening. After this, they went into their hit song “Amnesia” from Polyester Zeal. When they kicked into this song, they brought even more energy to the stage. The fans were loving every second it, singing along word for word with singer Mike Protich. Clearly guitarist Ryan Williams was enjoying himself on stage as he was sporting a huge smile. If you never knew they had never been a headline act, you would swear that they were old pros at this. Mike Protich worked the stage and the crowd like he had been doing this his whole life. Going back to Polyester Zeal, they continued with another big hit of theirs “Emotionless”. The chemistry that this band shares is extraordinary. They are a tight and polished unit. While guitarist Dave McGarry, bassist Ricky Miller, and drummer Pat Gerasia create a formidable rhythm unit, Dave also gets to cut loose and plays some mean lead guitar. When the played their cover of the Alanis Morrisette song “Uninvited” everyone was thrilled and let the band know they love it when they play this song. When it came time to play “Stealing Life”, a song about dealing with the aftermath of someone committing suicide, Mike told the crowd that while this song comes from a place of sadness, we want people to have hope. The final song of the night was the hit single from Thread “Deathwish”. With the crowd singing the lyrics “We belong to each other tonight, in a world that looks for a fight”, instead of the song having to do with living a self-fulfilling prophecy, everyone found a ray of hope and togetherness in it.
If you were lucky enough to catch their show in Tampa, you were lucky indeed as this was their lone show in Florida. So not only were you treated to an amazing show by all the bands, but part of the ticket sales went to Music Cares, which is a great cause. So be smart and catch Red Sun Rising while they are on tour. Not only will you be treated to a memorable concert, but you’ll be lending a hand to a very worthy cause.

Red Sun Rising:

Spirit Animal:

Dube’:

Music Cares:

The Orpheum: