Almost monday on a Tuesday night felt wrong. The music, however, sounded just right.
The San Diego-based indie-pop band rocked the sold-out Belasco on Tuesday as part of its international “THANK GOD IT’S ALMOST MONDAY” tour. Running just over an hour, the performance mixed songs from its self-titled album and its 2024 debut record “DIVE.” With groovy melodies and lighthearted lyrics, almost monday turned the packed venue into a temporary escape from everyday stress.
Following an opening set from band Rec Hall, the curtains dropped to the beat to the anthemic song “thank god it’s almost monday.” Lead singer Dawson Daugherty’s energetic moves drew laughs from the crowd, while the syncopated beats of “class a” had the audience swinging. The band opened strong with seamless transitions between songs as Daugherty sang and danced at the edge of the stage.
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After four consecutive songs from the new album released in September, the three-piece band turned to tracks from “DIVE.” “Jupiter,” one of the band’s standout singles, did not disappoint live. The chorus’ “Ooh, la-la-la-la-la” had even casual fans singing along within the first minute. The arpeggiated synthesizer mirrored a waterfall, while the grace notes at the song’s end sounded like stardust. The guitar solo mid-song briefly switched the gears, adding variety.
With “superprism,” the band steered away from vocal-heavy songs and highlighted its instrumentalists. Bassist Luke Fabry and guitarist Cole Clisby held down the groove while Daugherty fully unleashed his dance moves. With flying fists and waving waists, the lead singer theatrically embraced the audience and punctuated the song with lighthearted rap.
Daugherty established his captivating stage presence as he pointed to cheering fans. His movement painted the lyrics – during his performance of “jupiter,” he put two fingers on top of his forehead, singing, “Only just the two of us.”
Daugherty picked up an acoustic guitar before “losing streak,” shifting the set to a mellow melancholy without losing its sense of optimism. A favorite among fans, the song brought a shower of rain over the upbeat set. But the repeated line “I’m gonna be right back,” suggested that a difficult moment does not have to be permanent – one of the most moving moments between the dopamine rushes.
“Leaving is easy” showed off the concert’s elaborate lighting with blue lights transitioning to flickering red light during the slower choruses. Clisby put on a show in “never enough” with the electric guitars turned up to full blast. The song’s heavy sound made it the loudest performance of the night.
“She likes sports” struck like lightning – or, more like an ace. Arguably the strongest performance, the band effortlessly maneuvered between loud choruses and quiet interludes. The funky texture of guitar, cheeky lyrics with tennis references and the occasional crowd’s shouts of the song’s title made it a standout.
Daugherty’s showmanship was on full display, the crowd was electric, and photographers captured action from within it. During “she likes sports” and the following “sequoia,” concertgoers lifted a photographer above the crowd, who pointed their camera and fired flashes in all directions. These spontaneous moments only added to the causal, lighthearted atmosphere of the evening.
As the show neared its end, the audience’s unison only grew louder. The rich cymbals in “skinny dip” recalled the pop rock of The Killers. Almost monday played “can’t slow down,” the band’s most streamed song on Spotify, drawing cheers from the crowd. The quartet wrapped up the show with “better late than never,” the final track of the new album. With surging synthesized bass and electric guitars, the song delivered a satisfying closing as it amplified a captivating evening that had already been defined by energy.
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“THANK GOD IT’S ALMOST MONDAY” sounds like a sign of relief – and the band delivered just that. Almost monday packed overtly, almost delusional optimism into their music and gifted it to everyone in the venue. The San Diego band did not address society’s most pressing problems but offered a dose of youthful energy to people dealing with the everyday grind.
On a losing streak? Perhaps keeping your head up is the first step to bounce back. After all, as Daugherty sang during “she likes sports,” you have to be “in it to win it.”
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