On Saturday, June 8, Sheppard quite literally shook a sold-out Red Room at Cafe 939 for their “Say Geronimo!” Tour.
New York band Kids That Fly opened for Sheppard. The group amped up the crowd with their hits “Kiss Her You Fool” and “For The Night” amongst others. They completely captivated the audience during their performance, while also sharing personable stories and referencing their East Coast roots.
After a quick reset, Sheppard took the stage. From the moment the sibling trio stepped into the spotlight, it was clear that the band loves making and playing music. This is their first headline tour in six years and the energy was truly electric.
To open the show, George (vocals, guitar), Amy (vocals, keys) and Emma (vocals, bass) were joined by the audience in singing “Coming Home.” The crowd knew every word to this 2017 hit single, which set a reciprocal tone for the rest of the show.
At the foot of the stage were parents bringing their kids to their first concert, longtime Sheppard fans and newcomers alike. Sheppard took time to interact with the audience between songs and share stories; their enthusiasm and gratitude for performing for such an intimate, engaged audience was clear in how they spoke and played.
The Australian-born, Nashville-based trio teased their upcoming album Zora with a performance of the unreleased track “Play On The Moon.” The band — who has this infectious joy on and off stage — wanted to name the album after something optimistic. “Our grandmother is one of the most joyous people we know. We looked up what sunrise meant in Croatian,” George Sheppard said on the stage of their grandmother, who is Croatian, “and no joke it was her name, Zora.”
They continued their set with the same spirited passion. About halfway through the show, they played the dance track “Die Young,” which showcased each of the siblings’ talents. Their familial relationship is clear on stage, with each member having a moment to shine.
They ended their high-octane set with the lead single from Zora titled “Edge Of The Earth.”
After the group finished, George and Amy Sheppard joked that they usually run off stage and “forget” a song before coming back for an encore. Instead the three siblings went straight into their global hit “Geronimo,” which took the audience by storm. While some artists don’t enjoy playing their most popular song, Sheppard enjoyed “Geronimo” just as much as the audience did.
Their infectious joy and “happy pop music” truly rocked Boston and will rock playlists on June 21 with the upcoming release of their album Zora.
