Concert Review: Marian Hill thrills Moore Theatre crowd
We were lucky enough to attend Marian Hill‘s first show in Seattle back in 2015 at the Crocodile and since then the act just seems to be constantly blowing up. From their successful Sway EP, to headlining tours, to multiple festival appearances, to their debut album Act One, the last couple of years have been busy but well worth the effort. Apple using “Down” to promote the iPhone 7 during a football playoff game launched them even further into the mainstream and their collaboration “Back to Me,” featuring Lauren Jauregui of Fifth Harmony, gathered much attention with a wider audience.
This time around they were performing at the Moore Theatre and we were thrilled once again to catch their set. The main floor was GA seated so many fans were standing up in the front waiting for the show to start. The stage was set up with two white tent boxes which served as the act’s opening number. The lights went out and shadows of Jeremy Lloyd, and Samantha Gongol appeared behind the white curtains of the boxes. As “Down” played they danced around creating a cool visual with the lighting and their shadows.
After a few songs the duo was joined by their saxophonist/bassist Steve Davit, who drove the crowd wild with the hit song, “Mistaken.” The catchy beats along with the smooth vocals have set the act apart from others and with every new release they only get better. Gongol confidently moved across the stage dancing around and constantly engaged with the fans, often looking intensely at Lloyd waiting for him to set the tone. Even during their stripped down cover of “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” people’s eyes were glued to her.
Davit got his own spotlight when Gongol left the stage for a few minutes as he went into a sax solo while Lloyd handled the music. The fans danced, regaining their energy for when she returns to sing “One Time,” and end with “Got It,” calling on Steve right before the heavy sax solos. All three took the stage again for “Talk To Me,” once again energizing the room, and the duo closed the night returning to “Down” again. It is always a pleasure to see Marian Hill live and it’s so amazing to see them grow show-by-show and watch them truly enjoy what they love doing.