I don’t know if there’s a venue that has absolutely cooked up more heat in 2025 than the Moody Amphitheater in Austin.
I was back this time once again for Peach Pit and Briston Maroney’s co-headline “Long Hair, Long Life Tour.”
They weren’t kidding about the long hair; I hope with the humidity taking over Austin, their hair survives the rest of the tour.
First of all, what this tour proved to me more than anything is how much better Spotify is than Apple Music — let me explain.
I got put on to both of these artists through recommended playlists on Spotify; Briston was through “Freakin’ Out on the Interstate” and Peach Pit was through “Alrighty Aphrodite.”
In contrast, the best thing that Apple Music had ever recommended to me during my time on their service was a “peaceful sleep” playlist, which somehow made me snore even louder, disrupting the entire household.
Thanks to Spotify, this was a must-see show for me after seeing that these two were touring together.
The night got started early with Briston taking the stage at 7:30. This man was dressed as if he had traveled from back in time in the ‘70s; with a blue tie-dye T-shirt, a flowy green skirt, and a dark black pair of Docs, the vibes were already immaculate based on his fashion alone.
With the Tennessee singer having a more folky sound to his music compared to Peach Pit, I was expecting a more mellow set, but man, was it far from that. His movement on stage, his vocal performance, and his chemistry with his bandmates were electric for a whole hour straight.
His set had a cozy atmosphere that I quite liked as well; the set design was complete with makeshift trees and branches. There was a moment in the set when the band sat around in a campfire-style circle and even invited Peach Pit’s violinist out to play with them.
Also, one of his guitarists and his drummer had “fuck ICE” written on their equipment which I felt was more than appropriate.
But getting to hear “Freakin’ Out on the Interstate” as Briston’s closer was a special moment for me. He sounded identical to the studio version, and hearing the whole crowd sing along with him sent chills down my body.
At about 9, the sun had fully gone down, and Peach Pit took the stage, bringing their fair share of energy to Austin as well. They started by jamming Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs,” which threw me off in the best possible way before mashing it together with “Magpie.”
Consisting of Neil Smith on vocals and guitar, Chris Vanderkooy on lead guitar, Peter Wilton on bass, and Mikey Pascuzzi on drums, the Canadian band’s soft indie rock sound really translated well to an outdoor venue like the Moody Amp.
“Drop the Guillotine” was a blast to see live. I thought Neil’s hair was gonna fly clean off his head the way he was ferociously whipping it.
The guitar work on “Black Licorice” was insane, and the soft indie sound I mentioned before, I really felt on songs like “Give Up Baby Go” and “Techno Show.”
And then hearing “Alrighty Aphrodite” right after that was just another special moment for me. The band didn’t miss a beat through the entire song, with Neil having the most chaotic energy roaming the stage, the crowd absolutely loving it.
Towards the end of their set, Neil told a touching story about how Peach Pit came to be, starting with him and Chris meeting, leading to a heartwarming solo acoustic version of their self-titled song, “Peach Pit.” The rest of the band then came back out for “Tommy’s Party,” which ended with a beautifully nostalgic guitar solo and was such a perfect way to end the show.
I would’ve never thought to pair these two artists for a tour, but maybe that’s why I’m not a booking agent, because wow, was this a perfect pairing. I got two amazing sets in an amazing venue in just one night, and you truly don’t get many nights of live music that are better than that.
