Winnekta Bowling Leauge brought a groovy energy to the stage at the Voodo Room in House of Blues on May 24. To say the show was epic would be an understatement.
Matt Koma, lead singer and husband to Lizzie Mcquire *cough cough* Hilary Duff, said that San Diego is their 5th favorite city. Considering the band is soon to be touring with Misterwives, we’ll take it (it’s important to note that Matt quickly assured the fans that Mistervwives was not in San Diego).
The scene was set with mood lighting courtesy of a vintage chandelier, funky paintings on the walls, and a simple black canvas as a backdrop with the band’s branding.
The opener, 26-year old Carol Ades, set the tone for her set with “F*ck, I’m f*cking sad,” followed by her EP “through.” Ades is a natural peformer and her refreshing honesty had the crowd locked into her performance. Most of her songs followed her trope of being inbetween dreams, but ended on a strong note with the crowd ended joining in on a classic, “Stacy’s Mom.”
The rest of the band arrived on stage, greeted with the cheers of very loyal fans. One way to describe Matt? An energy magnet in a flowy silk shirt.
“Kombucha” was greeted with cheers and an overall passion for the fermented tea.
Winnekta Bowling Leauge was formed right before Covid-19, which threw off their groove until they released their song about everyone’s favorite highway to get stuck in traffic on. Next time you’re in bumper-to-bumper traffic, you know what song to queue.
Matt spoke of San Diego with scary accuracy before performing “On the 5” claiming that all locals are high and obsessed with fitness.
Touchè Matt, touchè.
The mood shifted as the band played “Barcelona” The once bouncing crowd turned to swaying as the band got in touch with their emotional side. The falsettos and vocal range of this song displayed the talant of Winnekta Bowling Leauge more than some of their pop songs. Maybe a falsetto challenge-off vs. Ariana Grande is in the future?
The roller coaster of the show progressed with a slow energy during “Vinny,” then wasting no time hopping *literally* into “Diane,” which was the most hyped the crowd had been all set.
The lyrics of the song perfectly encapture the mood, “my serotonin buzz.”
Matt annoucnded their new song (which is out now!) “I like to Hide in Bathrooms at Parties,” and played it for the first time for the lucky crowd.
The background of the song is about Matt’s “crippling social anxiety,” which after 2 years of pandemic, we don’t blame you. The song was a hit with the crowd. Some might have even left for the bathroom they were so motivated by the lyrics.
“CVS” brought a wave of booming cheers— Which is impressive considering it’s a song about a drug store.
“Slow Dances” was the last song on the set, and ended the concert well. The keyboardist threw the paper set list into the crowd and the band left the stage.
In typical concert fashion, the fans shouted for an encore. After a few suspenseful moments (Winnekta Bowling Leauge loves the drama), Matt came back out and claimed “We’re not big enough for encores yet.”
The fans disagreed as they cheered one last song that ended the night. Want to hear more Winnekta Bowling Leauge? Check out the Sounds of Summer festival.
Tonight Mag 