Best Coast, Wavves, Cherry Glazerr // Royale // Boston, MA // February 19, 2016

Sold Out Night #1 of the Summer is Forever II tour came out of the gate with the punk pop roar of LA's Cherry Glazerr performing "Had Ten Dollaz." I knew it was going to be a good night when Clementine Creevy announced "this is a song about my period!" and, by golly, I was right. Not sure how Best Coast and Wavves chose Cherry Glazerr to open this tour, but they couldn't have found a better fit. The cherry on top of their pop punk wonderland of a ten-song set was "Grilled Cheese" - ending on a perfect lo-fi note to leave the audience on their toes in anticipation of Best Coast, next up on the bill.

Best Coast, taking the stage to the thunderous cheers of the crowd at the sold out Royale, kicked off their set with the slow burn of "When I'm With You," and proceeded to dig right into the uber-popular "Crazy for You," knocking out a flawless set of about fifteen killer tunes. Bethany Cosentino is a powerhouse (on stage and off - have you read this?) and, together with the equally talented Bobb Bruno, they bring us the sweetest of California dreams; for a few songs, I even felt like I should be slow dancing underneath the stars on a beautiful California night. With the audience hanging on to Cosentino's every word and note, they crowd-surfed to gloomier songs, causing her to mention "you're unconventional - I like that." Wrapping up with the trio of "Boyfriend," "Our Deal" (my absolute favorite), and "When Will I Change," Best Coast showed us why they have so rapidly ascended to the forefront of rock and show no signs of slowing down.

Co-headliner and third band at bat, Wavves (they swap each night with Best Coast), an all-male band from San Diego, came out to a riled-up crowd, playing "Sail to the Sun," blowing us all away with their rad punk-surf sound, playing a solid set, encouraging everyone to crowd surf, and even passing out alien-shaped balloons at one point. Lead singer Nathan Williams, wearing cuffed jeans, khaki boots, and a black t-shirt blazed through hits such as "Mickey Mouse," "Nine is God," "Idiot," and "Heart Attack." In support of their latest album, V, Wavves, along with the stellar Best Coast and standouts Cherry Glazzer, brought Boston a few hours of the summer we've been yearning for since the fall came upon us.