Silversun Pickups at Capitol Theatre [photos/review]

Silversun Pickups are currently out on the road for a summer tour and on Saturday, June 22nd the band made their return back to the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York for the first time since 2013.

We last caught the band back in March of 2020 just before everything shut down so we were just a little excited to finally see them again after 4 long years (especially this being their first show since the release of their album Physical Thrills released back in 2022). Along for the ride and kicking things off for the night were local New York band, Hello Mary.

Coming into the show I was very excited as I was finally going to be able to catch Hello Mary, a band I feel like everyone has been talking about lately. If you haven’t heard of them, you will soon because they absolutely ripped. The three-piece filled the cap with buzzed-out guitar solos and were the perfect pairing as an opener for Silversun Pickups. While this was my first time seeing them, I don’t think it’ll be the last (…and be on the lookout for them).

After the opener, anticipation was high for Silversun Pickups to take the stage and as soon as the lights began to dim, a deafening roar came from the crowd. The band walked on stage and wasted no time jumping into their set with the insane 1-2-3 opening punch of “Growing Old is Getting Old,” “Sticks and Stones,” and “Well Thought Out Twinkles.” As if that wasn’t enough, 4-5-6 were just as insane with “It Doesn’t Matter Why,” followed by sonically massive “Panic Switch,” and “Scared Together.” The setlist was pretty damn near perfect and this was one hell of a way to start the first half of the set.

While this was my first time seeing the band live, the first thing I noticed was frontman Brian Aubert’s guitar and Nikki Monninger’s bass were REALLY LOUD (in a good way) while the overall mix was pretty damn near perfect. The other thing I noticed is that while on recordings the drumming is sometimes not as front and center, but drummer Chris Guanlao’s sound was huge providing a deafening thump throughout the entire set. Even more impressive is he was playing with a broken hand… and honestly if Aubert didn’t mention it in-between songs, I don’t think I would have even noticed because he didn’t miss a beat (if anything sounded like he was playing even harder). Tying it all together was Joe Lester on keys bridging the gap from the loudness of the guitar/bass/drum sprinkling in all those great sonic flourishes that also help create that trademark Silversun sound.

Before I wrap up I want to point out another fantastic element of their show which was the overall stage design and layout. There were typical stage lights, strobes and other lights but the coolest element were what appeared to be about 50 or so color-changing bulbs on their own individual stands at varying heights and depths within the stage. While certain songs they were all synced up as one color, others were slightly flickering with the song or alternate colors that just created a sense of depth to their set that was so fun to see. It helped create a vibe to an already stellar show and while I know this might sound subtle, it’s one of the cooler stage setups I’ve seen in recent memory.

Silversun Pickups are one of those bands that to this day, are still highly underrated and while I finally had the privilege to see their show I’ve realized that they’re also one of the best live bands I’ve seen in while. Their sound is absolutely massive for a 4 piece band and they sound even better live than you can imagine. It’s everything you’re looking for from a live show – great stage design, amazing musicianship, and a fantastic setlist. Do yourself and check out all of their upcoming dates here because you don’t want to miss this tour (which for those in the NYC area, it includes another stop in the tristate area at Brooklyn Steel in Brooklyn on June 27th… I think I know where I’ll be that night).

Find a full gallery from opener Hello Mary as well as a full gallery + setlist from Silversun Pickups below.

Hello Mary: