Frontman Chase Lawrence was electrifying. Everyone else—not so much.
A synth base droned, the crowd yowled, and lights flickered across a looming gravestone prop whose inscription read, in capital letters: “How will you know if you never try.” Nashville-based indie-pop band COIN opened their first headline show in Boston with “Feeling.” It was a fitting choice, powered by rumbling, jungly drums and an uptempo chorus.
Lead singer Chase Lawrence wore a crimson jacket with the phrase from the tombstone printed on the back. It matched the red backdrop and candy-red Nord keyboard. It didn’t take Lawrence long to start using his mop-top to his advantage, sloshing his curls from one side of his head to the other.
Fans opened up Snapchat for “I Don’t Wanna Dance.” Perhaps it was a reaction by awkward guys on dates realizing the irony of the chorus — “I don’t wanna dance / I don’t know how to dance with you.”
(Or maybe it was the symptom of a late-night Wednesday show.)
The crowd got restless as the night went on. They chatted through slower verses and instrumental sections. During the synth parts of songs, Lawrence delivered a dose of electricity. He slapped his hands on the keys like they were defibrillator paddles. There was just one problem. The keyboard parts were pre-programmed, like on hit song “Talk Too Much,” and Lawrence’s gesturing was mistimed.
Still, it got the crowd moving.
Lawrence fulfilled his frontman duties, providing a full show of dance moves. He slithered to the thump of the bass drum, clapped to the snare, and grabbed the outstretched hands of girls standing by the stage. He even climbed the kick drum, turned away from the crowd, jumping off at the crescendo of “Talk Too Much.”
However, the rest of his band didn’t match his energy. The guitarist and bassist mostly stayed put and focused on their instruments.
The only one contributing to on-stage flair, Lawrence summoned help from the audience with sing-alongs. He may have relied a little too much on them. The crowd knew some lines from “Talk Too Much” and “Boyfriend,” but not well enough to yell them out with confidence, which made for some awkward gaps. Though, given how catchy COIN’s songs are, in a year or two their crowds should all be able to join in. COIN closed out with “Fingers Crossed,” ending their set without an encore.