If you’ve ever loved an up-and-coming musician, you’ve likely experienced a sense of pride in hearing that they’ve sold out several shows on their first headline tour. You’ve likely felt that pride most when you get to attend one of those sold-out shows.
“I just got the news that we sold this place out tonight,” announced budding alt-pop musician Christian French to a packed crowd at Aisle 5 in Atlanta. “How does that feel?” In response, the audience erupted into joyous cries and applause. On Sept. 19, Aisle 5 was French’s 10th stop on his “bright side of the moon” tour.
French, who started his first headline tour on Sept. 4, would have graduated from Indiana University Bloomington last spring if he hadn’t have dropped out to pursue music full time. Since then, he’s moved to Los Angeles, toured with Chelsea Cutler and Quinn XCII, and released two EPs. His latest EP, “bright side of the moon,” promotes self-care and focusing on the positive aspects of life. Read the Wheel’s interview with French here.
The set began with simple guitar chords and slow, pounding drums hinting at French’s 2018 single “superstars.” Through flashing lights and haze, French ran on stage to the opening riff of “superstars” and was met by a thunderous response from the crowd. Everyone seemed to know every word of every song in the setlist. From the acoustic versions of normally electronic tracks like “Dying Alive” to the songs that made audience members jump and smile from ear to ear, French introduced each song with backstories and lyrical meanings. One arrangement even medlied two songs, “breaking all the rules” and “come around,” his collab track with Hoodie Allen. The crowd went wild with that duo of songs, which both take on a carefree tone.
French even weaved a few acoustic, unreleased tracks into the set. “It’s so easy to miss the best times of your life,” French said. “Put your phone away, and let’s share this moment together.” We quickly obliged to hear “Time of Our Lives,” an unreleased song. By the last chorus, we were singing along with French: “Look up, because we’re missing the time of our lives.” The lyrics seemed to be aimed toward the Gen-Z kids in the crowd — it really is so easy to miss the best times of your life when you’re absorbed in your cell phone and your life online.
French’s enthusiasm was infectious. He made use of the entire stage, either jumping around and inviting us to join him or directing our attention to his guitarist shredding an incredible solo. At one point in the show, before playing “bright side of the moon,” French called out, “Look at the positives in life.” The audience knew what was coming, and we immediately began to sing along with French: “Oh, it’s not so bad. Just look at the bright side.”
French’s Aisle 5 performance was nothing short of good, clean fun. I was smiling and swaying to the downtempo ballads and jumping to the electric guitar solos that displayed the band’s raw talent. For a normally production-heavy and electronic music genre, hearing the guitar solos created a sense of punk-rock edginess that has become rare in pop music. I was close enough to catch French’s hand as he moved around the front of the stage. My heart skipped a beat; he was the vision of a ’90s heartthrob. Meeting this artist that I listened to long before I ever got to interview him and see him live proved to me that French’s lyrics rang true — I really am in the best time of my life.
Grade: A
