There are some amazing bands and artists touring at the moment and there’s nothing like seeing a great band perform live. What could be better than that for a music fan? Two bands touring together and co-headlining a tour! That’s what I ran into on a recent evening at The Anthem when I caught Briston Maroney playing with Peach Pit on their Long Hair, Long Life Tour.
The show had three bands in total with an indie rock band from Chicago called BNNY opening the gig on June 22. They had a great Mazzy Star kind of sound with a little extra Velvet Underground tossed in. They played a compact but fun set that lasted 30 minutes.
Next up was Briston Maroney. His band came out first and started playing on a dark stage. Briston strode out last, looking for all the world like Hacksaw Jim Duggan in a white sundress. All he was missing was Jim’s trademark 2×4. If you don’t know that reference, you need to check out pro wrestling videos from the 1980s.
Briston charged all over the stage while the first song, “Real Good Swimmer,” started. The stage was set up like a psychedelic campsite, complete with mossy rocks and twisted trees. When the song was over, Briston asked the crowd to pinky promise that everyone would have a good time that evening. The crowd agreed to the deal.
Watch the official music video for “Real Good Swimmer” by Briston Maroney on YouTube:
So the stage is really the first thing you notice during the Briston Maroney set. The next thing you notice is his seemingly endless supply of energy! The man is like a perpetual motion machine. Even if you’re not familiar with his music, his stage presence is enough to enjoy the show.
Midway through Briston’s set, the mood shifted. The lights dimmed and the stage became a campfire. Briston played a beautiful acoustic set. At this point, he brought out Dougal McLean from Peach Pit to join in on violin.
Briston wrapped up his set in about an hour. Peach Pit was up next and they were punctual! The band kicked off their set by covering “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath! That morphed into their song “Magpie.” I’m not sure, but I think the “War Pigs” part went over a lot of heads. But it didn’t matter. Peach Pit doubled down by ending “Magpie” by transitioning back to “War Pigs.” Singer Neil Smith threw down with some impressive head banging. But he had to. You can’t come out in a Metallica shirt and play Black Sabbath without good head banging game.
Neil wasn’t the only headbanger on stage by any stretch of the imagination. Bass player Peter Wilton was very impressive and lead guitarist Christopher Vanderkooy was going hard enough to lose his cowboy hat on several occasions.
Watch the official music video for “Magpie” by Peach Pit on YouTube:
While Briston’s stage setup was pretty fanciful and complex, Peach Pit’s was paired down, in comparison. But the lighting was fantastic. Neil seemed to be truly blown away that the band was playing The Anthem. He told stories about playing Comet Ping Pong and asked who was there for those shows. There were several shouts and Neil smiled and thanked them for being around for so long.
Peach Pit played an energetic set that included songs from all four of their albums. They also played a cover of “What Once Was” by Her’s which they merged with “Techno Show.” The band’s set wrapped up with a scorching version of “Private Presley.” After the set was over, Neil came back alone and told the story of how he met Chris. He then asked if it was OK if he played the song “Peach Pit” just like he played it for Chris when they started writing music together. So Neil played an acoustic version complete with a whistle solo.
Since the show has two headliners, the set was on the short side at an hour and 10 minutes, even with stories and jams. All that does is make me want to see a full set the next time they come to the area.
Briston Maroney Setlist
- Real Good Swimmer
- Paradise
- Small Talk
- Tomatoes
- Body
- Better Than You
- Land Of Light
- Caroline
- The View
- Under My Skin
- June
- DNA
- Be Yourself
- Freakin’ Out On The Interstate
Peach Pit Setlist
- War Pigs/Magpie/War Pigs
- Drop The Guillotine
- Black Licorice
- Up The Granville
- Vickie
- Give Up Baby Go
- Outta Here
- Being So Normal
- What Once Was/Techno Show
- Alrighty Aphrodite
- Shampoo Bottles
- Private Presley
Encore
- Peach Pit
- Tommy’s Party
Here are some more photos of the bands performing live at The Anthem on June 22, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Marc Shea.
