Delta Spirit blows the roof off The Middle East Downstairs (and has a new album coming soon)

Boston (and Cambridge) loves Delta Spirit. After Tuesday night’s FREE concert at The Middle East Downstairs, Bostonians are also quite fond of StubHub and Pandora, as they co-sponsored quite an amazing party for us. In addition to this free show with such a stellar band, there was also an open bar, complimentary posters (that were silk screened on site) and t-shirts. How could this not be great?

This wonderful evening was part of StubHub’s Next Stage Concert Series, which will also be stopping by Nashville and San Francisco. Their mission is to present “emerging artists in iconic clubs in exclusive live shows across the nation.” Nice.

It probably makes sense that Matt Vasquez and the boys have recently relocated to Brooklyn from Los Angeles. Though I have no doubt that their West Coast fans were sorry to see them go, the experiences I’ve had with them clearly show a bigger East Coast following. The last time I saw them, it was in Costa Mesa supporting Airborne. Despite being 45 minutes south of L.A., that OC audience was completely clueless as to who they were. Having seen the band about a week before at The NINES Festival in Devon, MA in front of a delirious crowd, all I could do was shake my head in disbelief.

Here now, back in Boston, they were clearly in their element, playing for a large number of fans who were there for the band first and the free booze second. Not to say that the open bar didn’t contribute to the mile-long line that snaked down Mass. Ave., but there were plenty of fans who had braved the rain and were pressed up against the stage, singing and swaying along. Their set was deeply satisfying, even given The Middle East’s abysmal basement acoustics. It was an overflowing basket of delectable classics — “Parade,” “Strange Vine,” “White Table,” “People C’mon,” “Trashcan,” “Children,” “California” and my teary-eyed favorite, “People, Turn Around” (which was performed as a triumphant encore – see below). They also unveiled three new songs from their upcoming album, Into the Wide, which is due out September 9, and which seems to be very much worth waiting for. They played “Live On,” “Language of the Dead” and “The Wolf.” It was a muscular and exhilarating performance; they’re definitely one of the finer live bands out there.

Setlist: Strange Vine, Tear It Up, Live On, Parade, Empty House, Language of the Dead, White Table, Money Saves, The Wolf, People C’mon, Bushwick Blues, Trashcan, Children, California // People, Turn Around

Here’s a teaser for the new album.