Former Nova Scotia and current Toronto inhabitants TWRP fired up their traveling machines to escape the blustery Canadian winter. In doing so, the band pronounced “twerp” traveled south to Texas in an effort to eliminate boredom and sadness in the Lone Star State.
The mission of the elite squad of rock stars from the future to do so has been simply titled “Once Upon a Time in Texas”. The mission takes the futuristic quartet to Dallas, Austin, Houston and San Antonio. The happiness patrol and bearers of good times will execute four dates with a day off before and after the Houston show. The mission concludes on Sunday, February 26 in San Antonio.
Tagging along on the Texas trek as support for TWRP is solo artist Nelward.
TWRP’s arrival to Dallas couldn’t have been planned better as the temperatures reached the upper 70’s on the Fahrenheit scale. Day one of the band’s mission would commence at the historic Granada Theater.
Fans arriving early were able to enjoy outside dining or just simple relaxed conversations while awaiting for the TWRP VIP Performance.
Once inside, the VIP attendees were treated to an hour of fun ranging from several songs to a question answer session.
The questions though were not one sided as in as being directed to TWRP. The questions went both ways. Answers were fielded by the attendees as well as members of TWRP.
There were guidelines though to the questioning. If needed, there was the power of the veto which was just a simple coach’s whistle.
Questions ranged from snacks, favorite part of touring, favorite color, breakfast eggs preference, piercings, favorite time in space and others. The most common question though seemed to be favorite band member. The answers were even split with the response of everybody as well as individual TWRP members.
The band wasn’t in their full stage attire but in a more casual wardrobe. For example, vocalist and keyboardist Doctor Sung was sporting Holstein Friesian cattle print western chaps. That allowed Sung to easily respond to the most flexible question by dropping into the splits.
Following the VIP Performance, the doors opened allowing general show attendees to enter the Granada.
The line for band merch wrapped through the lobby and into the theater area. Plenty of time was allowed before Nelward took to the stage.
Atlanta native Nelward is a sole individual musician whose music is influenced by art pop with a notable discography.
The tools Nelward utilized on stage consisted of a guitar, keyboard and laptop computer. Nelward’s set consisted of tracks from his numerous releases. Songs performed by Nelward were brief while others were more in the traditional three minute or so song length.
Songs in Nelward’s set included “Lydia,” “Get Off the Pot,” “Buttercup,” “I’m a Dog,” “GHOST,” and “Apple Shampoo.”
What was noticeable was the engagement and positive vibe feedback received by Nelward from the Dallas crowd. The approval for his performance from the colorful crowd was a no brainer.
The transition to convert to TWRP’s landing on the Granada Theater stage was minimal, 15-minutes at the most.
With lights out and several minutes of a looping of low end space sounds only built the anticipation for TWRP’s arrival.
Their entrance to the stage received the welcoming fit for rock stars from the future. The grand entrance was only elevated as Sung smoothly cruised out a on hoverboard greeting Dallas with arms raised.
With a sound perfectly set for the theater setting, TWRP in typical space fashion launched into “Comin Atcha” from the 2020’s Over the Top release.
As smooth as the Sung’s hoverboard entrance, TWRP’s set followed the same.
The band reached into their healthy discography of seven albums and six EPs for the set. The faithful and quickly enlisted new recruits were treated to the band’s catalog.
The crowd heard “Body Image,” “Polygon,” “Atomic Karate,” “Superior Moves,” “Summer Everyday,” “Starlight Brigade,” “Bright Blue Sky” and others.
Just because the identities of TWRP are hidden didn’t keep the band silent. There was plenty of dialogue, crowd interaction and engagement. TWRP delivered a clean, crisp and tight set to the never ending excitement of the Dallas attendees.
The onstage personas of each member just made things more interesting while watching TWRP’s set.
Along with Sung, there’s guitarist Lord Phobos, bassist Commander Meouch and drummer Haave Hogan whose headgear resembles the Iron Giant.
Prior tour history sees TWRP hitting DFW after the first of the year. A trip around the Sun may be needed before TWRP returns to the Dallas Fort Worth area.
As for the band’s recent stop in Dallas, TWRP delivered a five star galactic performance.
