[PHOTO GALLERY] Kevin Devine live in Boston

Kevin Devine, along with with Pinegrove and Petal, performed live at Royale in Boston, MA on December 10th, 2016.

Whether it was Kevin Devine himself or not, someone procured a great fall tour that found the second to last night of it in Boston at Royale. Kiley Lotz with her band Petal were first followed by the quirky indie folk rock collective Pinegrove. The tour was in support of Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band’s new album Instigator, released October 2016.

Petal opened the night early, since the venue turns into a nightclub dance party, as lead singer Kiley Lotz greeted the crowd: “Thanks for coming early, you may not have even eaten dinner yet!” She led an emotionally-fueled set of indie rock that was entertaining, inclusive and kept everyone’s attention.

The crowd was more than ready for New Jersey’s Pinegrove to take the stage and had begun cheering as frontman Evan Stephens Hall came out to set up the stage before they even played a note. They powered through most of their second album, which was released on Run For Cover in early 2016, titled Cardinal. The whole crowd sung along when, much to his amusement, Hall had briefly forgotten a few words to one of the songs. Hall’s earnest and sincere playing style add to the band’s charm and in a few years they will be headlining their own shows.

Kevin Devine’s turn was up next; he’s a veteran to the industry, having been in various bands since 2000. He ventured solo in 2002 and developed his talents even further. He is known for his introspective and, at times, political and socially conscious lyrics. Opening the set alone, he performed “Ballgame” off of his 2003 album Make the Clocks Move and then the Goddamn Band came on to rock the rest of the set.

They were very loud for a three piece and sounded much bigger, at times a little reminiscent of grunge greats Nirvana. They played nearly 20 songs spanning Devine’s entire career, and many off of the new album, which were all well received. Devine also added a few more solo numbers for good measure. Lotz came back on stage and sang a bit of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” that cracked everyone up.  

The whole night had a great vibe and all the music fit together well; it was apparent that the musicians had bonded throughout the journey and it didn’t feel like the second to last date as they seemed fresh and enthusiastic. You can’t go wrong checking out all the bands that this tour had to offer. After a few weeks off, Devine will visit Europe to tour with Laura Stevenson.