“Thanks y’all!”
Those were the last words uttered before Susto played their final chord of the night, frontman Justin Osbourne spewing water from his mouth into the air.
About an hour earlier, the band was nothing but an opener for most of the crowd — a simple hour-long intermission before Wild Child took the stage. But, Susto’s performance Wednesday night turned many heads.
The band opened with “County Line,” a slower, southern alternative song. Though the crowd was ready for some high-energy music, the song didn’t feel out of place. The band really played with one another, each instrument assembling into one giant machine.
The set saw Johnny Delaware flinging his luscious locks around in a mellow head bang, Marshall Hudson jam out on a drum set featuring a broken cymbal and Corey Campbell rock the hell out of a guitar solo.
When the band concluded playing their last song, “Cigarettes, Whiskey & Wine,” the audience almost seemed sad to see them go — but it was only temporary. As soon as the headliners took the stage, it was clear this crowd belonged to Wild Child.
The band played several fan-favorites, including “Silly Things,” “Break Bones” and “Fools” — everyone in the Majestic Theatre was swaying or jumping to the music.
Matt Bradshaw’s trumpet work was blissful and he hit impressive sequences of notes while Sadie Wolfe calmed with her cello. Frontman and frontwoman Alexander Beggins and Kelsey Wilson brought it all together with their soothing, at times boisterous, vocals. Some vocalists are unable to perform as well in concert as they can in the studio — but Alex and Kelsey are not those vocalists.
For as enjoyable as the music was, the thing that brought the crowd to their feet was the energy. Everyone in the band seemed genuinely happy to be exactly where they were. Smiles were shared among band members and reflected into the crowd, and everyone played with a degree of passion that made the reason for their success as a band obvious.
One second Wild Child was on the stage playing their last song, and the next they were gone. But they returned upon hearing the “one more song” chant echoing throughout the crowd.
In 2014, at the end of the Flatbush Zombies concert in Madison, the crowd themselves looked like zombies — tired, inebriated and devoid of any life. The crowd that left the Majestic on Wednesday night, however, was a little different.
As cheery underclassmen set off for their dorms and bearded postgrads grabbed a beer for the road, everyone shared a sentiment of happiness. Known for their positivity, Wild Child did not let the audience down, and they could have turned the most pessimistic person smiley.
For Susto to merely be called openers doesn’t quite do them justice, and for anyone that missed Wild Child live in Madison, there’s always next year.
