Finals week is easily the most stressful time for University students and it can be tough for anyone to find a break to enjoy themselves. Thankfully, indie-pop band almost monday offered just that on Tuesday, bringing an electrically fun performance to The City Center.
A trio from San Diego, almost monday released its first single in April 2019. Since then, the band has released two EPs and an album, “Dive,” which came out in September 2024.
“(They have) a sound I don’t hear from a lot of other artists,” said Mariana Sanchez, a student in Social Work. “It’s a nice ’70s, summery weather, driving-with-the-windows-down kind of sound.”
The night began with an energetic performance from the opening band, Ocean’s Child. Following Ocean’s Child, almost monday took the stage with “is it too late?” which brought cheers from the crowd.
“Are you all ready to have a good one tonight?” asked lead singer Dawson Daugherty before the band continued with “can’t slow down.”
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After finishing “can’t slow down,” Daugherty asked the audience to sing the guitar riff to “cough drops,” one of the band’s most popular songs.
As the audience sang along and clapped, Daugherty brought a great deal of energy to the stage as he jumped around and danced.
“His dancing was very out there, and I loved it,” said Maekaila Reyes, a student in Media.
Daugherty made sure to engage with the audience as much as possible, making the crowd feel like part of the show.
“Do you guys want to keep singing tonight?” Daugherty asked after the band finished playing “never enough.” “We got some songs that we need some help with, you want to keep doing it with us?”
The crowd then helped the band sing along to “tidal wave” which brought more dancing and cheering.
“I think their presence on stage is a big factor and how they work the crowd,” said Ryan Nguyen, a student in LAS. “I can definitely tell the singer is really out there; he sounds great.”
After playing a few more songs, Daugherty announced that the next three that the band would play were a tribute to the band’s hometown.
They began with “coast to coast,” followed immediately by “sweet feelings” and then “seaside market,” a slower track to close out the trilogy.
The band brought the energy immediately back up, however, by playing a cover of “What I Like About You” by The Romantics.
The energy in the room surged with members of the audience screaming out the lyrics and clapping along to the beat.
Daugherty addressed the students in the crowd and encouraged them to celebrate the end of the school year.
“How much do you guys have, like a week left of school?” Daugherty asked. “Oh, come on man, we got to be partying right now!”
He asked each class of students from freshmen to seniors to raise their hands and cheer to have fun at the end of the year.
He then announced the band’s next song would be “lost,” a song the band had not yet released to the general public, which brought even more cheers of excitement from the crowd.
The band played a few more of their hits, such as “sequoia,” “you look so good” and “she likes sports,” continuing to entertain the crowd.
“They made a fan out of me,” Nguyen said.
almost monday’s final song, “life goes by” perfectly captured the spirit of fun and celebration they imparted on the audience.
“It’s been great playing for you,” Daugherty said before the band left the stage. “Have a great summer.”
