Nordista Freeze’s 41st show in his World Record Tour brings out DIY in Brooklyn
NEW YORK – In the backyard of a Brooklyn apartment, fans of Midwest emo, rock, and—most importantly—Nordista Freeze gathered on May 26 to celebrate the forty third show of what will become a world record tour across the country. Freeze is on the final leg of his 50 States, 50 Shows, 30 Days tour, and for his stop in The Empire State, local acts White Hall, Big Girl, Doolittle, and Greg Smith came together to make it the DIY experience that Freeze has embodied throughout his musical journey.
Starting off the night was White Hall, an indie group playing in their hometown. Guitarist and lead vocalist Paddy McKiernan welcomed the crowd as they filed in, and the band played some unreleased tunes such as Garbaggio and Annheiser Glitch. Avery Greeson’s hair thrashed around as he headbanged on guitar while adding backing vocals, and Brennan Clark delivered a steady bass line throughout the set, which also included tracks from their album National Finals Rodeo. Additional backing vocals was drummer Davis Rowe, who kept the songs driving and the fans grooving.
The crowd was warmed up just enough to give a fitting welcome to scorching act Big Girl, fronted by Kaitlin Pelkey. Her fiery red hair, combined with a lacey top and pair of tights, let the audience know she was not playing around for this performance. Joined by Crispin Swank on guitar and Mikey Diamond on drums, Pelkey switched with Clay Parcells to play both guitar and bass in the set. It included bangers such as Handmedown and Split Ends. Towards the end of their set, they began one of their songs while holding up their hands in the shapes of the Rock, Paper, Scissors symbols; this reeled the fans in to participate, especially when Pelkey would point at the audience for “shoot.” Big Girl put on a fantastic show to get the crowd ready for the headliner.
Nashville-based Freeze took the makeshift dirt stage next, opening with his iconic Wysteria as part of the acoustic set. His second song, All I Wanna Do, was a lovely ballad he wrote about wishing to see his girlfriend while on tour, even though she was at this show, which is closest to his home in Brooklyn; he reminisced on the time they had spent earlier in the day relaxing on a beach nearby. This track featured an exquisite whistling tune with the soft waltz-like guitar.
Bringing two friends on the stage as backing vocals, including David Russell from Doolittle, Freeze played a cover of With a Little Help from My Friends—a sweet ode to how this tour has come alive for the past few weeks. After the acoustic tracks, Freeze brought more help from Doolittle to finish up his set with a bang. He sang Fight Song from his album Big Sky Pipe Dream, as he jumped to the beat, spontaneously climbed a tree next to the fans, and flipped his shirt over his head.
Following that was singer-songwriter Smith, who provided the crowd with an acoustic break before the final act of the night. With strong vocals combined with rhythmic strumming, he rocked the stage with original tunes as well as covers such as Rich Girl by Hall and Oates. During his original Cry, Smith’s head voice echoed throughout the audience with passion. In addition to hosting the house show, he showcased some of his artistic talent.
The final act was Doolittle with Midwest emo tunes and other hits, including tracks they've written. Fronted by Russell and Gemma Guttenberg on bass, the band opened their set with a cover of Where Is My Mind by the Pixies. Guitarist Jared Meyers began on vocals and the main guitar melody, which was a hit with the fans. While playing original song Headlights, Guttenberg instinctively jumped out to crowdsurf while the audience was jumping to the beat. Doolittle also played their unreleased track You Look Better Single, about heartbreak, to which the crowd was singing along. For the final track, Oliver Picot started playing the piano intro of How to Save a Life by The Fray, and Rowe played drums to pick up the vocal melody, ultimately reeling the fans in to end the show with a shared emotional moment of screaming this song together.
This performance is the epitome of what DIY music and community is all about—artists supporting each other work to make a wonderful night for the performers as well as spectators. As Freeze wanted his tour to be, it's accessible to all who want to be a part of this scene, not having to worry about ticketing at a venue or bags being prohibited. It's simply a time to enjoy music together.
