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Written by Vella Mour Monday, 30 March 2015 19:41

I doubted Diarrhea Planet’s ability to out-perform many other artists I’d seen live, including their opening acts, but after seeing their show, there is no way anyone else could outshine the Nashville sextet.

 

Off Broadway, St. Louis

I didn’t know it, but Diarrhea Planet’s show seemed like one of the most anticipated underground shows in St. Louis this month. Off Broadway was packed with people of all ages, drinking beers and getting pumped up for Diarrhea Planet’s legendary jam sessions.

The opening band was Bruiser Queen, a native St. Louis band that always rocks the stage with energy and flair. This female-fronted duo never cease to amaze—Morgan Nusbaum’s vocals are out of this world, a mix of rock and roll and jaw-dropping soul. After seeing their performance, I didn’t see how there was any way Left and Right or Diarrhea Planet could come close.

Of course, I was wrong. Before Diarrhea Planet graced the stage, Left and Right quietly came on stage. This four-piece grunge punk band shuffled onto stage, softly introduced themselves, and then completely lit the venue up. The vocalist sounded incredibly like the singer of Jawbreaker, and their murky, but fast-paced music seemed to match pretty well. As soon as the first note was played—the first lyric sung—the crowd fell in love and didn’t stop jumping and dancing until the set was over. But could Diarrhea Planet really top these opening acts?

Again, I was wrong. After waiting outside on Off Broadway’s huge back patio for about 20 minutes, finally sound-check could be heard and the crowd bum-rushed the stage. As I stood in back, I saw each guy of the sextet plug in their instrument (sans drummer, of course) and sound check their mic. I was wary of the four guitars that graced the stage, but as soon as their set went off, I never looked back.

Instantly, the jammy, punk-rock, late-grunge sound boomed into the venue and didn’t stop until after Diarrhea Planet’s encore of “Teenage Wasteland”—a surprising request shouted from the crowd. Each member of the band had their own time to shine, and the triple guitar solo half-way through could amaze even the best guitarists in the crowd. Diarrhea Planet is the essence of entertainment.

I doubted Diarrhea Planet’s ability to out-perform many other artists I’d seen live, including their opening acts, but after seeing their show, there is no way anyone else could outshine the Nashville sextet. A | Vella Mour