Real Friends brought a crowd of all ages together at Irving Plaza on Nov. 25. The Chicago-based pop-punk band made the already intimate venue feel like a rock show in a friend’s basement.
The “Forever And Ever And Ever” tour is a celebration of the band’s seventh studio album, “Blue Hour.” It is the first album with Cody Muraro on lead vocals.
The band had people on their feet and crowd surfing with the first song, “Our Love Was Like a Sad Song.” By the third song, Muraro was in the crowd himself. A circle opened up in the middle of the floor to make room for the lead singer. It was easy to forget that there was a stage because Muraro spent most of the night singing with fans in the crowd.
Comedic moments ensued when Muraro forgot the lyrics in the middle of the song, but the crowd kept singing.
While Muraro was splitting time between the stage and the crowd, the rest of the band anchored the energy on the stage throughout the night.
The blue light and clouds hanging on the stage reflected the concept of blue hour — the time right after sunset and right before sunrise when the sky is mostly blue. The tone of the album is captured beautifully as blue hour is seen as a moment of sadness. The time is also considered a “reset,” which describes the past few years for Real Friends well as they have gone through changes and released this album independently.
Things slowed down, and fans sang along as the band played “Teeth.” Different from most of the songs Real Friends has released as it started out as an acoustic song, then a full band version was made, similar to most of their songs.
Comedic moments ensued when Muraro forgot the lyrics in the middle of the song, but the crowd kept singing. He laughed it off and said he forgot the same lyrics the last time they played Irving Plaza and had a feeling it would happen again.
Muraro stayed in the crowd for “I’ve Given up on You,” a track off “Put Yourself Back Together,” an album created with the original lead singer. He sang it with as much heart as the songs he created with the band. His voice captured the signature whiny tone of a Midwest emo song. The mood of the sad breakup song was met as the lights dimmed and the disco ball slowly turned, reflecting light all around the room.
Kyle Fasel, the bassist, introduced, “Waiting Room,” my favorite track off the new album. Fasel wrote the song in honor of his dead father, it details the pain and grief of losing a loved one. The sadness could be felt throughout the room as fans sang along.
The band encouraged first-time crowd surfers to get off their feet and into the air as they played “From the Outside.” The track is from their 2018 album, “Composure,” and it was a throwback that many in the audience were waiting for.
The night ended with the same energy it started with. They closed the show out with “Tell Me You’re Sorry.” It was the last chance for fans to scream and mosh, and they did just that.
It is rare for headliners to hang around their merch table at shows these days, but Fasel continues to meet fans. It’s reminiscent of the “Warped Tour” era when meeting the band after their set was standard. Between performing in the crowd and meeting fans, a Real Friends show feels like a hangout with “real friends.”
“The Forever And Ever And Ever” tour concluded on Dec. 1.
