It was my first time ever attending a show at the House of Blues, so I walked in without knowing what to expect. I was beyond excited to visit this historic venue, and it was just as grandiose as I expected. Every inch of the place was covered in art or some intriciate design. They even had a bathroom attendent (which is not normally something I’m used to at Indie Rock shows). 

I arrived just as the opener, Rotem Sivan, was performing his last song. The venue was already packed. To my surprise, I seemed to be one of the youngest atendees. When I noticed this, I knew that my hopes of participating in a mosh pit were almost none. After a short curtain draw and sound check, White Denim was on the stage. White Denim have been playing together since 2006 and performing in separate acts well before that, so they are no stranger to the stage. I had seen pictures of White Denim before, but I was surprised to see that the lead singer, James Petralli, looked much older than I had expected. His hair was long and shaggy and he had a huge, seemingly unkempt beard. He looked like a younger, thinner, more musically-talented Hagrid from Harry Potter. 

White Denim came on with no introduction, and immediately started shredding. They played continuously for about the first five songs, and didn’t take many breaks after that. They opened with “Real Deal Momma,” a track that got everyone moving instantly. Seeing them on stage, they looked very comfortable. It almost seemed like I was watching a band have a jam sesh, rather than perfroming at the iconic venue House of Blues. Most of their songs have long instrumentals, which gives their performance a jam sesh feel. I personally couldn’t stop watching the drummer. His arms were moving so fast I could barely keep track. 

White Denim played a whopping 24-song set. They were all absolutely shredding the entire time. Watching White Denim perform live left me with a new found respect for the band. Not everyone can play that long of a set and still keep up the energy. Although I was correct in assuming there was not going to be a mosh pit, I was still dancing the entire time. For anyone out there who is a fan of Classic Rock, you NEED to see White Denim play live.