Sitting on a cobblestone wall waiting for the bus to arrive, my accompanying friend and I debated why Sophia Allison, the lead singer and driving force behind Soccer Mommy, chose her moniker. When she came on stage, would we find her wearing cleats? Would her live vocals be muffled by her tooth guard? Would soccer balls be thrown into the adoring crowd and be bounced around with joyous vigor to rival the movie Real Genius? I already knew the answer to these questions (Soccer was merely a word in her name), but I let my friend’s mind continue to run wild. By the time the bus dropped us onto the brick pavement of Old Town Fort Collins, we saw a small line beginning to form outside the Aggie Theater. We slipped in and after a roasting wait in the August sun, we were let into the Aggie’s inner sanctum, sprinting to the front of the stage.

Enjoying a fantastic pre-show playlist featuring artists like Yin Yin and Built to Spill, I wondered about the openers we were awaiting, of whom I was less familiar with. I had only heard utterances of the name Pool Kids, but I had heard and appreciated a few tracks from Slow Caves when playing local music as a DJ for KCSU, and was especially intrigued when they ran on stage. A local Fort Collins rock band composed of David Dugan on drums and Jakob and Oliver Mueller on guitars, my friend’s first note was Jakob’s striking resemblance to John Denver. Though, due to this friend’s strong face-blindness, I wouldn’t take his word for it. I was delighted to find that their set was even more electric than what I had heard prior. Swaying to the beat and full guitar sound with a casual coolness, Jakob told the audience that we were “the most chill and respectful crowd ever” (Is this a compliment? I think so!). Finishing their set of mostly new material as well as Slow Caves classics like Girlfriend, I took a strong mental note to give their music a deeper look as well as to keep an eye out for the official release of their excellent new material!

Next, Pool Kids took the stage. The crowd cheered as guitarist Andy Anaya, lead vocalist and guitarist Christine Goodwyne, drummer Caden Clinton, and bassist Nicolette Alvarez got their gear in working order. Christine and Nicolette stood near the edge of the stage, Christine tuning her guitar and Nicolette looking down at her pedal and checking cords before pushing her glasses back up her nose and beginning to tune her bass. As soon as all the gear was in order, the band members walked back behind stage, further building suspense. When all members finally came back out for their set, the crowd went wild. Between astounding Van Halen-style solos, Christine sang powerful vocals to an adoring crowd, some fans singing back her writing word for word. Alvarez, now without glasses in calculated anticipation of the sheer energy of her performance, played with passion, grinning wide during more technical sections of the bassline, jumping up and down during energetic sections of each song, and moving around the stage to keep each of her fellow performers company, whether that was soloing face to face or back to back. Anaya showed equal levels of passion, taking a moment between tapping guitar solos to gush over how grateful he was that he and his bandmates got to perform for a living. After Christine climbed and kneeled onto the barricade for an especially energetic song, they closed their set with one final impressive solo, Goodwyne angling her guitar for a perfect picture opportunity for the audience.

Lastly, Soccer Mommy took the stage. Along with Sophia Allison, out came Julian Powell (guitar), Rollum Haas (drums), Nick Widener (bass), and Rodrigo Avendano (keyboard and guitar). Playing crowd-pleasing classics like Cool, Shotgun, and Circle the Drain as well as newer songs such as Bones and Darkness Forever, Rodrigo’s work was especially impressive, switching guitars between songs alongside Sophie, and then doing work on the keys between strums. Taking inspiration from Soccer Mommy’s newest album, Sometimes, Forever, Rodrigo worked synthesizer into songs old and new, whether that was light atmospheric droning in older classics or dark, crunching, clicking synth beats in the background of newer, more gothic tracks. Sophia Allison, though seemingly initially nervous, sounded incredible all the way through, singing beautifully while playing rhythm guitar. Personal favorite moments of mine were a rare rendition of Last Girl, a cover of Soak Up the Sun by Sheryl Crow where the whole crowd sang along as someone in the crowd blew bubbles into the air, and the closing performance of Yellow is the Color of Her Eyes. Though this song is especially emotionally difficult, as it’s about losing a loved one to terminal illness, Sophie held strong through the entire performance. She seemed to redirect her emotional energy into an intense additional live section of the song, where the original quiet fadeout began to roar into an angry barrage of distorted guitar, Sophie soloing head to head with Powell, Widener and Haas. As the song came to a close and the band left the stage, I found myself on the verge of tears, an infrequent occurrence for me when it comes to concerts. Against the background cheering of “one more song”, I attempted to recollect myself and join in on the chant, as I had yet to hear one personal favorite song of mine. After a few repetitions, Sophie and the band came back out, and began to play just what I had hoped for, her song “Your Dog”. Screaming along with my friend who had known none of the other songs prior, Your Dog was definitely a highlight of the night. The iconic guitar riff sounded just as good live, if not better, and the song stuck in my head for the next several days. As the band left the stage, Powell was last to leave, leaving his guitar lying face up on the wood of the stage, a poignant and satisfying conclusion to a wonderful night of music.

Though there was no soccer equipment to find within the Aggie Theater, Soccer Mommy’s performance on August 9th at the Aggie Theater with support from Pool Kids and Slow Caves was an incredible showcase of musical talent. Through this experience, I discovered two new bands and gained a whole new respect for a band I already adored. All three bands put on excellent performances that emitted a palpable love of music and respect between bandmates.