The first time I saw The Backseat Lovers live was in 2023 at the Ogden Theater in Denver, Colo. The second time was later that year at Thomas Point in Portland, Maine. Now you know my credentials, I feel I can confidently back my next statement. Last Sunday’s show was unlike any other.
Walking through the doors of The Fox Theater, located on 13th Street in Boulder, I was instantly hit by the anticipation from a buzzing crowd. The theater holds 625 people and the bold red letters reading “SOLD OUT” on the vintage marquee outside told me it would be packed.
Opener Jonny’s Day Out had just begun their set. The band consists of five members from Portland, Ore. and has a relatively small fan base. It’s something you wouldn’t guess by the way fans matched lead vocalist Amos Heart’s energy.
Their set had songs like Gardner, their most recent EP released Oct. 2024., with multiple songs featuring Jude Abare’s melodic use of trumpet to set songs above the rest.
Standing stage left with a grin spanning under his signature mustache was Joshua Harmon, staring in wonder at the openers. Fans passed, eyes widening in realization, but not daring to say hi. Even when lead guitarist Jonas Swanson joined him, the crowd reaction was the same.
Respect. It’s something Harmon praised the crowd for mid-set. It was shown to me outside the venue when a fan called someone out for littering, inside as waters were passed through the crowd and as strangers shuffled so their neighbors could get a better view.
The Backseat Lovers kicked off their set with one of their first songs being “Pool House.” Originally released in 2019 on their album “When We Were Friends,” the track only recently gained the popularity felt by songs like “Kilby Girl” and “Maple Syrup” from the same record.
Popularity didn’t matter during this set. Whatever words left Harmon’s mouth, if it wasn’t one of the two new songs played that night, the crowd echoed them back. Eyes never strayed from the stage. As if savoring each note like it would be their last, they hung onto Harmon’s every word.
“Close Your Eyes” came later in the set. The song, about the anxiety and fear of growing up, hit home for the mostly college-aged crowd. Lyrics paint a harsh picture of time as a constantly ticking clock, unforgiving as you’re forced into growing up.
The emotions come to a head during the bridge. Harmon and Swanson sing overlapping lyrics, shadowing each other’s words, as the volume builds, they meet on one line. Singing in unison, “oh I have to get any older,” followed by an explosion of sound, the power and emotion felt in each instrument on the stage.
Members ran off, waving and displaying heart hands to a cheering crowd. Cheers soon turned into chants for “Sinking Ship.”
It’s a song you listen to with an ex in mind, ultimately about being in a relationship you can feel on the brink of collapse. Ending with a repetition of chords, tensions building in every strum, Harmon singing as if the emotions present in 2019 were just as raw six years later.
The night was over, but the tour had just started for the Backseat Lovers, with one more night at the Fox Theater and seven more dates set on their tour before ending in Omaha, Neb., May 2.
The band announced an EU/UK tour the summer of 2025, starting in Paris, France and ending at a festival in Algés, Portugal.
