Gig Review: The Greeting Committee 2/10

BY RUBY SIGMUND//

On February 8, my friend at Northeastern University’s record label texted me that an artist he works with was touring with The Brazen Youth, an indie folk band coming to D.C. in two days. On a whim, I decided to buy a ticket, and a few days later, I made my way down to the Wharf’s Union Stage.

I walked into Union right before 8 PM, having never heard either of the bands playing that night. Quickly, The Brazen Youth came onto the stage, with standout performances from Nic Lussier as lead vocalist and Mei Semones riffing with seemingly no effort on guitar.

It was a great show, played by the band that I came to see. However, it is not the set I’m reviewing.

The Brazen Youth was the opener for another band, The Greeting Committee. Within five minutes of The Brazen Youth’s set ending, the crowd thickened, and I was pushed away from the front by a mass of queer couples in quirky clothes. I was slightly claustrophobic in this sea of company. But the feeling went away completely as The Greeting Committee came onto the stage with jubilation extending from their faces to their fingers, enticing the crowd with an energy so captivating you couldn’t look away. Jumping across the stage and onto Adam Fraser’s drums, lead guitarist Brandon Yangmi sang with delight and played with an intensity scrawled across his face in permanent ink. The main attraction, however, was lead vocalist Addison Sartino. She commanded the audience’s attention, not just with her powerful vocals and exclamations to “make some noise D.C.!” but in her whole-hearted exhibitionist dancing: Sartino was completely confident in herself, her music and her body, and it was exhilarating to watch. Multiple times she waded into the crowd, once to give what looked like vodka shots to a few audience members in the back, and another time to bring up a trombonist to play with The Committee for a song. Sartino constantly interacted from the stage as well. For example, she took the hands of the girl in front of me and sang directly into her soul with an almost terrifying charm. About halfway through their set, Sartino yelled “put your hands up!”, and with a terrifying jump, soared over the crowd, surfing atop strangers’ sweaty palms (I managed to prop up her pant leg and black converse shoe while taller audience members supported her superman-esque pose). I was hypnotized, screeching song lyrics I somehow knew yet had never heard before, awash in purple and red lights with a mask plastered to my skin hiding a 100-watt smile that grew as Yangmi and bassist Pierce Turcotte danced around each other as if in a middle school Guitar Hero duel.

Finally, the set was over, and The Committee went backstage. No one in the crowd moved, understanding that an encore was imminent until Turcotte, Fraser and Yangmi bounded back out. Sartino was the last to appear again, impatiently calling out for an “Abigail and Marie”. Two beautiful women with streaks of colorful dye in their hair made their way onto the stage, holding hands. I could tell what was about to happen, but I still held my breath with the rest of the crowd as Sartino told Marie that Abigail had something to ask her. With that, one of the women got down on one knee and all I could hear were deafening shouts of boisterous approval, dozens upon dozens of strangers all sharing in this couple’s beautiful moment, myself included. The Greeting Committee played one last song as Abigail and Marie hugged and danced. Down below we jumped to the music in awe and appreciation for what was just experienced as a collective.

Walking home, I realized what I had to do. I opened Apple Music (don’t fight me, they have Neil Young and Joni Mitchell), searched “The Greeting Committee”, and hit play.