REVAMP Riffs: Walk the Moon (Opening by Vacationer)

U STREET -- After performing an on-stage sound check that charmed the audience, opening act Vacationer was a pleasant surprise to the crowd at Black Cat. They are a little clumsy, like a teenager growing into their body, but with time and experience they may flourish.

Opening act Vacationer (Photo: Frank Wilson / REVAMP.com).
Mellow, beachcombing sounds and varied tempos make this band a great companion on a road trip or a porch swing. Lead singer and guitarist Kenny Vasoli described their sound as “the Beach Boys, circa 1965, get into the Bill & Ted time machine and go to a rave and the sequence is in slow motion.” So yeah, it was like that. The band ended with their biggest song “Trip”, which is right in line with their vibe and name.

Walk the Moon (Photo: Frank Wilson / REVAMP.com).
With face paint donned and engines idling, the crowd then calmly waited for ultra fun Walk the Moon to take the bedroom-sized stage. The group’s following has been growing for a few years, spurred on by the song “Anna’s Sun” which was named song of the summer in a 2011 Esquire article. The quartet from Cincinnati excels in crowd inclusion with dazzling riffs, electronica and disco influences, big choruses, and even bigger percussion. They also just happen to play their whole set with euphoric grins painted onto their faces.

Walk the Moon (Photo: Frank Wilson / REVAMP.com).
The 80/20 girl-guy crowd wiggled their hips and cut squares all night on a floor built for mopping up spills, in this haunt of ill repute. Walk the Moon’s jumper cable energy kept the crowd dancing, regardless of how much space they had to “Dougie.” Perspiration graced the brow of everyone in the dive, with “NO STAGE DIVING. NO CROWD SURFING.” signs posted everywhere. Responding in kind and equipped with towels to catch their Lebron James-level sweating, the band got jiggy with it more than Will Smith.

Walk the Moon (Photo: Frank Wilson / REVAMP.com).
WTM played a new song, “Sugar Sugar Sugar”, filled with heavy kick drums and lyrics touched with heart strings once pulled. The sold out crowd erupted at the privilege to listen, and bonkers at the conclusion of the song. They then ended the night with signature song “Anna’s Sun”, named after Nicholas Pericca’s college professor. If you haven’t seen the quirky video, it’s worth a view and they did it in just one take (a href=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDVW81bXo0s>YouTube.

Walk the Moon (Photo: Frank Wilson / REVAMP.com).
The band, whose WTM name hints at a loftier goal, is well on its way to achieving a status that touches the heavens. The crowd’s wishes were fixed on them all night, they were the first stars they had seen that night, and they burned bright. When they return, get involved.