“You ever love something so much it hurts?”
I think fans of the Nashville native band COIN have.
The indie pop group gave a purely joyful performance at the House of Blues last night where it was apparent that the love in the venue was mutual.
As soon as Chase Lawrence (lead vocals and synthesizers), Ryan Winnen (drums) and Joe Memmel (backing vocals and guitar) stepped onto the backlit stage, there was one immediately notable thing. It wasn’t the colossal reel-to-reel stand that quietly sat next to the drum set or the single row of light beams that rose from the ground straight to the ceiling. It wasn’t even the members of COIN running out onto the stage.
It was the audience.
Obviously, at a concert, the crowd will go absolutely insane when the artist takes center stage, but COIN fans were different — and you could feel that instantly.
The crowd welcomed the band of three with a warm, intimate embrace, reminiscent of a reunion with old friends. Through elated roars and elevated hands, the audience and COIN were locked in on one another once it was time for the first song.
Fans’ excitement and devotion for COIN was first apparent in line for the show — hours before the doors were even opened. As new groups formed in line, they were given a 2×2 piece of green paper to hold over their phone flashlights during the song “222.” The tiny “gift” wasn’t given to attendees by HOB employees, but by a fan who took the time to print and cut out hundreds of pieces of paper to fulfill a fan project that would show COIN how much they are loved.
People feel attached to different music for their own reasons, but the night we spent with COIN made us understand just where all the love was coming from.
The set list consisted of 24 of the band’s favorite songs, as revealed in an Instagram post earlier this year. The set progressed and with each song, the stage lighting matched the energy of both the band and the words they sang. For example, Fresnel and PAR lights were used in the beginning verse of some songs to create anticipation, and then turned into colored floodlights and strobes as songs transitioned into an increased beat or main chorus, as during “Problem” and “Leaving a Light On.”
While COIN jumped and head-banged their way through the concert, they made time to pause between songs to soak in the love from the audience. There were several times the band completely stopped what they were playing to dwell in the crowd’s excitement, making sure to tell the audience that they were loved back.
Undoubtedly, the finale was just as strong as the show’s start, with an encore of two songs and a hauntingly memorable harmonica moment.
