HI-FI (Indianapolis, IN)
05/23/23
Over the past couple of months, indie-rock band Pedro The Lion have been galavanting across the United States playing every song from their 1998 debut album, It’s Hard To Find A Friend, and their 2002 album, Control. The pairing of these two hugely impactful records on one tour makes for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. After a fifteen year hiatus, Pedro The Lion made their triumphant return in 2019 and have been consistently releasing new music ever since. On their double-album tour, the band made a stop in Indianapolis, Indiana to perform a touching and gut-wrenchingly moving set at the HI-FI.
It was nearly a sold-out show – the crowd stretched from the very back of the room to centimeters from lead singer David Bazan’s toes. The band began on a lighthearted note with a performance of “Big Trucks.” The setlist was the perfect shuffle of each song from the two albums, dipping in and out of the more emotional tracks. The crowd swayed, eyes closed, hands on their hearts, some silent-crying to the songs that shaped their adolescence. There are concerts one goes to to wail and rage and scream, and there are concerts like these – the ones that take our inner child by the hand as if to say, “You’re safe here.”
As the set progressed, the crowd began to flourish. Strangers danced with one another to “Indian Summer” and lovers embraced during “Bad Diary Days.” Magic flickered in the eyes of every person at the HI-FI that night. Pedro The Lion gave each song its own little life, honoring the immense importance of these two iconic and timeless albums.
