Peach Pit Brings Sad Punk and Guitar Joy to Summit

When I got to the Summit Music Hall to catch Peach Pit for my first time (and for their second-ever in Denver), it was absolutely packed. Likely the most packed show I’ve been to in a long time, maybe a little proof that we’re all still slinking slowly back to normal – at least with live music. Maybe.

I was excited to catch Peach Pit for my first time (and for their second time ever in Denver).

It was a sold out show, and was very difficult to maneuver around the place because it was so packed – and it was still early – squeezing through people with just a few inches of space. I eventually get to the pit so shoot the Pit (see what I did there?), but to start I couldn’t really move freely until I got to the bar in the back, where the crowd was just a line for drinks. But the fans that were crammed in the rest of the space were excited, ready to be swept off their feet with their favorite sad punk rock surf indie tunes and wild guitar antics. And they weren’t disappointed. they’d been warned on Peach Pit’s Instagram that the band would be starting early, and it looked like not even one fan missed the memo.

Peach Pit came out right away, searing the venue with a blistering cover of Slayer’s “Raining Blood”

Sadly, equally popular and rising indie darlings Sunflower Bean couldn’t make the show due to weather, but Peach Pit came out right away, searing the venue with a blistering cover of Slayer’s “Raining Blood” (Neil Smith may not be Jeff Hanneman or Kerry King, but his guitar skills made my young “Guitar Hero III” skills look like I played barefoot on a floor full of legos).

The energy was immediately explosive, with flashing lights and pounding drums, getting everybody pumped up. Smith called for a mosh pit, and was quickly obliged. After “Raining Blood,” Smith introduced the band members – Peter Wilson on bass, Chris Vanderkooy on guitar, and drummer Mikey Pascuzzi, and mentioned that his dancing wasn’t in top form, because he was suffering from a “bangover” (headbanging too hard earlier in the tour, making for a full-body stiff neck).

The band waltzed this ecstatic crowd through some beautiful guitar-laden indie pop, including “Drop the Guillotine,” “Peach Pit,” “Seventeen,” “Shampoo Bottles,” “Sweet FA,” “Your Teeth” – just to mention a few of the standouts. The crowd shouted – loud and long – after the band left the stage, until they came back for an encore. That encore as almost another set, and still the fans wouldn’t let go. But all of us left with smiles on our faces, and joy in our hearts.

Enjoy the photos!