Show Review

I’ll be the first to admit that it’s been awhile for me to see Sleeping At Last. Quite simply, they fell off the radar for me after the long time it took to burn out their debut “Ghosts,” and when “Keep No Score” was released, for some reason I was distracted from really giving it a solid listen. However, over time I found myself putting the record back on and growing to love it—completely atypical from the way “Ghosts” immediately overpowered me and consumed my attention for weeks on end.

In the same way, I kind of kept exponentially paying less and less attention to the band as they came through town—that is, I kind of forgot about them. What a mistake that was, in retrospect—especially after I finally mustered up the energy and willpower to travel down south to see them in Colorado Springs, the place I first saw them play at a now dead venue “Bleu 32” with Switchfoot some 4+ years ago.

When I wandered up to the church the band was playing at, I expected they’d be playing in some downstairs area—in some youth room or even cafeteria. I didn’t expect them to be playing in the dead center of the chapel, right where the preaching happens. I was a little taken aback and caught off guard, but also nervously excited to see the band perform. I recalled the last time I saw them some 2 years ago in Los Angeles and left the show almost feeling unimpacted—it was completely different than the first time I saw them. I don’t think the band themselves changed much. I think I changed.

But, on this fatefully cold and lonely evening, my mind was reset. Alone and eager, I scurried into the church and took a quick glance at the merch area set up in the kid’s quiet room (an area in a church where babies go when they are crying so they don’t interrupt the sermon, usually behind a soundproof glass wall). When I glanced over, I perked up, seeing the O’Neal brothers mother sitting coolly behind the merch table pecking at her iPhone. Instantly I nostalgically recalled the first time I saw them, meeting their mother who is indisputably one of the coolest moms ever—she’s their tour manager, merch lady, and tough backbone—something I’ve never seen elsewhere. Talking with Ryan before their set felt strangely comfortable, and familiar. Immediately, the weather outside contradicted the feeling I had in my gut of warm excitement.

After the rather boring opening band played their songs that sounded like an unpracticed praise band left the stage, I leaned forward in my pew and watched the guys set up their equipment. After that, I kind of went into a daze as the band played songs from their two records that sounded nothing short of magnificent. Honestly, judging from the set up which was clearly not mainly for concert performance, I wasn’t excited or expecting to hear what I heard. As soon as the band opened with their once major label single, “Say,” their equipment immediately overpowered the rather bleak setup given by the church. Laptops, pedals, high quality amplifiers, and guitars decorated the stage. Visibly, this band was on a major label once upon a time.

The band’s best moments were hard to capture. Whether it was the slow, intimate songs, or the loud, vibrant rock anthems, the band literally couldn’t stop. Sleeping At Last’s songs have a lot of room for error. Especially in the singing, there are complicated, difficult vocal lines that might be easy for one to miss. Ryan’s voice was genuinely impeccable. Somehow, mysteriously, the mix in the house was perfect, and his voice was loud, crisp, and only matched the volumes of the drummer and guitarist/multi-backing instrumentalist. While many of the songs have a clever guitar lead on the record, the band only performs as a three piece, but the sound was full and largely occupied every space in the room.

So what was missing? Well, I would’ve liked to hear more of the soaring, arena songs on their debut, as they leaned towards more mellow, intimate songs from their new record. A couple of the new songs featured Ryan on the ukulele and were outstanding. I’m hoping the new record has a good mix of their mellower, quiet songs and the loud, in-your-face jammed out songs.

Overall, I have since the show come full circle with Sleeping At Last, and “Keep No Score” is once again in daily rotation. The band literally put me into a trance and mesmerized me, and I can only hope that more and more of you decide to go check this band out and get on the bandwagon. Amazing.

review by Andrew Martin