Explosions in the Sky holds a special place in my heart.
I first saw them in 2007 when they opened for The Smashing Pumpkins in Providence. At the time the Pumpkins were in the first stages of their "reunion" which was really just Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlain. I remember that night vividly because Explosions sounded way better than the band they were opening for.
Fast forward two years and I'm standing in the pouring rain in Central Park. Explosions is playing on the Summer Stage to celebrate their 10th anniversary. It was a straight up monsoon through the first two openers. I remember my friend Dan wearing a garbage bag because he forgot to bring a raincoat. On his head he had put a newspaper to keep his hair dry. As the day went on the paper soaked through and all the ink dripped down onto his face. It was a miserable experience standing there...until EITS took the stage.
The sun came out during Your Hand in Mine. I remember it was just about to set and the sky turned this beautiful shade of pink. One of their amps actually short circuited from the humidity and rain which kind of slowed the whole show down but they ended up finishing their set.
My most sacred memory of the band though happened on April 5, 2008 at Lupos in Providence. To this day it's still the best live music experience I've ever had. They opened with Catastrophe and the Cure. We were right up against the stage and the sound would hit you like a ton of bricks. It was legitimately one of the most life changing experiences I've ever had.
Close to a decade later they ended up coming back to Lupos on The Wilderness tour. They sounded just as good as ever and I even got to shake hands with Munaf after the show. I had had a few beers and was feeling sentimental and tried to express to him how much the band meant to me. He was super nice about it but I probably freaked him out. Sorry, Munaf.
In total I've seen EITS seven times.
2007 - PPAC, Providence, RI - Opening for the Smashing Pumpkins
2008 - Lupos, Providence, RI - Greatest Show Ever. All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone tour.
2009 - Central Park, New York - Lots of rain and equipment issues.
2011 - Orpheum Theater, Boston, MA - The Antlers opened. They are also a great band.
2013- Toads Place, New Haven, CT - Loudest show ever. Also New Haven sucks.
2016 - House of Blues, Boston, MA - First part of The Wilderness tour.
2017 - Lupos, Providence, RI - Second part of The Wilderness tour.
Now they are about to embark on their 20th anniversary tour. It's wild to think about. Unfortunately they aren't coming to Boston or Providence. I'm still debating going down to New Jersey for the show.
Combined with the tour they also released remastered versions of two of their early albums, their debut album, How Strange Innocence and The Rescue which contains eight tracks that were written over the course of eight days.
It makes me so happy to see that they're still kicking. Even if their latest albums had some flaws their live shows never lost their touch. They still play with the same emotion and power as they did when I first saw them in 2007.
I love this band and can't wait to see what they do next.
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