Photo by DYLAN LONG
Hailing from Lititz, PA (pop. 9,399), four high school homies turned international rock stars known as The Districts made the final stop of their North American tour last night at the Electric Factory. Countless family and friends of the hometown heroes comprised the crowd where sons and daughters and parents openly mingled as if it were one big family Thanksgiving gathering. Philly soft-rock locals Purples kicked off the evening with cool, melodic tunes that graciously complimented the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the show. Although with the venue being nowhere near capacity, bright smiles and loud cheers echoed off the walls and emanated throughout the building as the next act up, Lady Lamb, graced the stage. Frontwoman Aly Spaltro ramped things up a notch with an electrifying attitude and presence, whipping her hair in all directions while belting out upbeat tunes such as “Billions of Eyes” and “Bird Balloons.” After a half an hour intermission to let the hype build up, The Districts finally stepped foot onstage for their last U.S. performance of their 2015 fall tour to a massive reception from their beloved hometown fans. “This is kinda weird, but those are my cousins right there,” frontman Rob Grote utters while pointing at a group of girls positioned front and center at the lip of the stage, which was decorated with household trinkets and Christmas lights. Despite their tender age, The Districts sounded like seasoned veterans as they dished out the hits (“Funeral Beds” and “Long Distance”) along with deep-cut classics (“4th and Roebling” and “Peaches”) and even some brand new unreleased material. One veteran concertgoer told me it was his 50th anniversary of seeing his first rock & roll show, and couldn’t be happier to be celebrating this milestone by seeing the Districts etch a beautifully real and passionate set of rock for his listening pleasure. The Pennsyltucky foursome blended hints of folk into vigorous rock riffs and soaring choruses, and the lyric-writing talent that these guys have is off the charts — take it from someone who spent the night screaming along to every word. — DYLAN LONG