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American indie rock band Flipturn put on a thrilling show at Boston’s House of Blues on March 29. The band, composed of members Dillon Basse, Tristan Duncan, Mitch Fountain, Madeline Jarman, and Devon VonBalson, formed while they were in high school in Florida. Since 2015, they have been making what they call music for “endless summers, sun-streaked days, and introspective nights.”
When the blue lights onstage turned red, excitement fluttered through the venue. The band walked out with smiles on their faces, with frontman Basse donning a Red Sox jersey. The band started strong with songs off their 2017 and 2018 EPs, “Citrona” and “Heavy Colors,” respectively, such as “Churches,” “Vanilla,” and “Chicago.” One special moment occurred when Flipturn played “Sad Disco,” a track off their 2022 album “Shadowglow.” It felt as if every single person in the audience was singing along with Basse during the chorus: “All in all / All in all / It was helpless / Helpless.”
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After the first few songs, the band paused to address the audience. “How we doing, Boston?” Basse asked the crowd. “How we feeling tonight?”
He explained that the tour stop in Boston meant a lot to him because he grew up “down the street.” The feeling of homecoming was potent, as both the band and the fans connected to the music that rang through the House of Blues. This sense of connection was the highlight of the night. One could look out across the floor and see an ocean of heads, entranced in the music but so clearly sharing the same heartbeat.
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Not only was the audience connected, but the band was too. In a sweet moment, the band members gathered around and cheered on drummer VonBalson during a drum solo. It felt, for an instant, as if they were in a world the audience couldn’t reach — a world where Flipturn was truly just a group of friends making music together in a garage. Moments like these occurred throughout the concert, as members occasionally turned away from the audience and had little musical moments in groups of two or three.
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After playing hits like “August” and “Savannah,” among others from their vast discography, Flipturn blessed their fans with three encores to close out the night. The first was a thrilling cover of “Reptilia” by The Strokes, followed by an unreleased song, “Burnout Days.” The song was met with silence, as the audience soaked in every drop of sound they could. The final song was “Nickel,” a track off of “Citrona,” which fans made the most of — singing with their friends and jumping up and down to the beat.
Overall, the concert truly felt like a fun night with friends and music. And what could be better than that?
—Staff writer Najya S. Gause can be reached at najya.gause@thecrimson.com.
