Sunday Reign Mohawk Place
Mohawk Place on January 6th was THE place to be, I feel bad if you missed out! This show was the most packed and energetic I’ve seen at Mohawk Place thus far. The lineup for the night was awesome, as openers Lynz, Kira Zappy, and Reese Daniels got the crowd warmed up for the main headliner, Sunday Reign.
Reese Daniels really got the crowd going with his incredible piano skills, and a mixture of different vocals, playing covers such as Ahead by a Century by The Tragically Hip. Reese was playful and energetic with the crowd and would laugh whenever he made a mistake. Reese gave us a really good opening and helped turn my mood around.
Normally, I would’ve watched Lynz and Kira Zappy before Reese. However, although I arrived on time, the main event coordinator for After Dark Presents, who was hosting the event, couldn’t bother to look at the note that was taped to the table saying I was on the guest list and tried to shoo me away, while also making me feel incredibly stupid. But I didn’t back down and after calmly explaining myself to a worker at Mohawk Place, and not the original coordinator, I was finally let in. Not the greatest start to the event. But let me tell you, Sunday Reign was absolutely incredible.
As I mentioned before, I wasn’t in the best of moods from the start of the night, but after Sunday Reign got on stage, I could feel the energy and love that this band had for each other, and the music they created. Sunday Reign is composed of Michael Delano on Vocals, Sean Laettner on Drums, Owen Krieger on Bass, and Alex Cousins on Electric Cello. Yes, you heard that right, Electric Cello! This was one of the first times I felt truly lost in the music. Their set list included songs like Barricade, Where the Violets Go, Dog Bone, and Portrait.
Listening to the band felt like a privilege, and to feel their emotions of just wanting to create their music was beautiful. At one point during their set, Michael stopped and started to tear up, stating how it was one of the first times seeing people in the audience sing back to him, with songs he wrote. Between every song, Michael would speak and explain what each song was called and what it meant to him. It felt like a journey, going through each song, and medium. The band came down to the main floor and gave an acoustic performance while having the audience illuminate them using their phone flashlights.
After the performance, I had a chance to speak with Michael himself and Michael’s mom, who gave me one of their shirts. I’ve never felt such love at one of these concerts and I truly have discovered a band that I want to go see again when I have the chance.
Their next performance is January 20th at Nietzche’s in Buffalo, follow @sundayreignband on Instagram for more show dates. You won’t regret it.
