Words & Photos by Rod Snyder
The Fillmore in Philadelphia was sizzling last night, during the first of 2 SOLD OUT shows by The Struts. It was chilly outside, but inside Luke Spiller and The Struts thoroughly warmed the crowd up.
They were pre-heated prior to them taking the stage by Philadelphia’s own The Underground Thieves. Fronted by Nick Perri, this 6 piece rock n’ roll outfit proved they have to balls to just flat out inject music directly into your soul. Definitely a band to keep an eye out for in 2020.
Luke, along with guitarist Adam Slack, bassist Jed Elliot and drummer Gethin Davies, took the spotlight about 9:15 and didn’t waste any time tearing down the stage. They balanced their set with an equal amount of material from their latest release, “Young and Dangerous” as well as their previous effort, “Everybody Wants”.
Frontman Luke Spiller was dressed for the occasion as usual, and had several wardrobe changes placed strategically in the set. Drenched in sweat from running around all night, I’m sure it serves a dual purpose. The only time he isn’t running around on stage, is when he’s on the piano. He performed a few songs throughout their set, including “One Night Only” and the touching “Somebody New” from their latest release.
There was even a surprise proposal (at least for the bride-to-be) in the middle of the set was that very sweet. Arranged prior to the show, Luke motioned to the man to come out from the side stage and join him, front and center. The man started speaking with a quiver in his voice and you could sense what was about to happen. Luke motioned for the woman to come up on stage, and from there, the man proposed. She said yes, luckily!
The band came out for 3 encores at the end of the night, sending the sold out crowd home with big smiles on their faces and a great sense of satisfaction. The Struts are back at The Fillmore tonight for round 2. They will then close out the New Year with a show in Nashville. Keep an eye out for their 2020 tour, as they continue to eviscerate the music scene!
TheWaster.com | Philly
12.30.19
