Piebald rocks The Troc after an eight year extended hiatus

Piebald at The Trocadero | Photo by Matthew Shaver | mattshaverphoto.com

Piebald was cast in a very special hardcore mold, one that bore the holy trinity of Boston bands (the others being Converge and Cave In).  While their peers stayed steeped in the rough and rugged, Piebald veered off on to their own to create some of the most fun alternative rock ever made.  An important distinction between them and a lot of other alt-rock bands from the era.  Even when the songs are a bummer, they are unabashedly fun.

After an extended hiatus, Piebald is BACK!  Ok, not like new album “back,” or even EP “back.”  Not even new single “back.”  But, they are on a short tour for the first time in like 8 years “back,” and they are still full of vibrance and energy, and have not succumbed to atrophy over the better part of a decade.

Stealing a line from LCD Soundsystem, they shut up and played the hits.  Though they mixed in some chatter,  the lions-share of the show was a gigantic sing along as they barreled through heavyweights like “If Marcus Garvey Dies, Then Marcus Garvey Lives”, “Grace Kelly With Wings,” and the tours namesake, and forever the anthem of the group itself “American Hearts”

The crowd was a generational mishmash of fans, and we were the nights real winners.  I talked to a day there with his teenage son who spoke about the last Piebald show he attended when his son was only 2.  There was a mixture of 20-somethings, 30-somethings, 40-somethings, and beyond, none of whom were chaperones, but all fans.  There was a 5-year old front and center, dancing with her mom, which the band acknowledged with a coolest mom ever nod.

Jersey indie stalwarts By Surprise kicked off the evening in fine fashion.  Their similar, yet distinct brand of angular rock was a perfect intro for the evening, even if the crowd took a little time to get in to it.  The lack of enthusiasm wasn’t a performance based issue, there just wasn’t a lot of people in when they started, which is always kind of a bummer, but unfortunately nothing new for opening acts.  Regardless, they put 100% of their energy in to it, and those of us that were there got a treat.