In my eight years of concert experience, I’ve never been to a show quite like MISSIO’s. From the bottom of my heart, that is a good thing. There are very few artists that can make the audience feel a part of the show. MISSIO managed to do just that not only with their music but also with their openers.
Swells were the first opener and they were just astounding, I fell in love with their unique style right away.
Swells music was the perfect pairing for MISSIO’s music style. Swells had me completely entranced in her vocals and instruments the entire time. Whether it was the trumpet in “Tongue Tied” or the ever-so relatable lyrics in “Honey Butter.”
I managed to catch up with the lead singer of Swells, Taylor Baker after her set was over and talk to her a little bit about her experience traveling with MISSIO.
“It’s amazing.” Baker said, “They are actually the nicest dudes I’ve ever met. They are genuine and authentic and they really care about people. So it’s been amazing.”
Blackillac was the next opener that MISSIO brought with them. Their name comes from, as they put it, “it’s like a Cadillac but black.”
They may be from Austin, Texas but they represented Wisconsin in their set. One of them was wearing a Milwaukee Bucks shirt and during a freestyle segment, they mentioned a ton of Wisconsin cities, which was a nice touch, to say the least.
Typically I am not into rap/hip hop music but I was totally down with Blackillac. The two brothers had such good on-stage chemistry. They would hype each other up and interact with the crowd in such a unique way. In what seemed like ten minutes, they played their last song and were gone.
MISSIO was up next and the tension in the room was peaking. All of a sudden, the lights went down and everyone immediately went quiet. When the lights came up the duo had taken the stage and the bass shook the room.
The frontman of MISSIO, Matthew Brue, was dressed in all white like he came to speak a new holy scripture to the audience and introduce them to his new religion. He says it best himself, “That’s why they call me Temple Priest mothafucka.”
One of the things that struck me right away was how different the songs sounded live. Songs like “Temple Priest” and “Middle Fingers” sounded like completely different songs. The live songs weren’t worse or better than the recorded versions. They were a whole different song.
Each song was an anthem that topped the last. I kept thinking to myself, “Okay that has to be their best song of the night. That’s the one I’ll write about.” But it was an avalanche of sound, each song building on the last until it wiped out the crowd.
After a bit, I let my eyes wander to the crowd to see how they were reacting to this change. Everyone was completely entranced by the duo. Every group of people was their own microcosm of emotions.
The stage setup was one of the most unique setups I’ve ever seen at The Rave. Bright lights would flare up with the beat of the music. They completely mesmerized me and the audience, further sending the audience into a trance-like state.
Later in the set, Brue asked the audience to greet each other and introduce themselves to one another. I met some nice people who came all the way from Northern Wisconsin to see the show. This welcome atmosphere that Brue created helped to get the audience to open up and be themselves at this show – something that a lot of artists struggle to get the audience to do.
When MISSIO finished their set everyone was left in a dazed state. Some people just were holding still trying to process what just happened. On the way out, I kept my ear to the crowd of people to hear their reactions.
I overheard someone say, “They have such an original sound, it’s insane.” That simple sentence sums up MISSIO. Their sound is so original and unlike anything I’ve heard in recent memory.
MISSIO continues their “Rad Drugz Tour” until May 11th.
You can find MISSIO tour info here on their website. You can also find them on Spotify here.
You can find Swells on Spotify here and you can find Blackillac on Spotify here.
Browse more photos from the show:
Photo credits: Faith LeMay
Instagram: faithlemayfoto
