UTG PHOTOS: SHWAYZE & CISCO ADLER (11/7/11)

November 19th, 2011

Kellie Gannon

Every show I’ve attended recently has been different than the last. This one also held a special place in my heart. Not only did it fall on my brother’s birthday but this was the first time I’ve been able to see both Mod Sun & Shwayze under the same roof. I missed my chance to shoot Shwayze & Cisco Adler in LA for their show back on 4/20 at The Roxy Theatre, then missed Mod Sun in Cleveland back in August while I was out in LA for the Sunset Strip Music Festival. So here we are on Monday, November 7, at Peabody’s in Cleveland, & third time is definitely a charm! The best memory of the night happened before the show even started. I noticed Mod Sun & Cisco Adler by the back of the venue, & before the throngs of fans could swarm them, I made my way over to introduce myself & inadvertently earned the “best sister” award as both Mod Sun & Cisco wished my brother, who I brought to the show as his birthday present, a very special personal Happy Birthday.

Then we were treated to a set from G-Eazy, who has been on multiple tours across the US recently with the likes of Big Sean, Lil Wayne, Drake, & currently Shwayze. G-Eazy merges his James Dean appearance with his hip hop sound to create a crowd pleasing performance. He got the crowd amped up for Mod Sun, who came running out onstage for his set, full of energy, & playing songs off his new mixtape, Blazed By The Bell, that released September 22 & features an intro by the principal from the show with a similar namesake (Saved By The Bell), aka Mr. Belding. Mod Sun, who says he has “no fans just friends” & treated all of us friends to a fun show with songs off the new mixtape, as well as bringing Shwayze out for collaboration towards the end of the set. Mod Sun’s hippy hop sound, complete with his tye dye shirt (which actually looked exactly like the one from his new “Tye Dye Everything” video), & his energetic but laid back demeanor create a fun show.

Last & best of the night was Shwayze & Cisco Adler. Already in an amazing mood, their performance surpassed my expectations. It didn’t feel like the stage was a separate platform from the crowd; it felt like everyone was on the same level & it was friends playing a show for friends. Their charisma, vigor, & interaction with the crowd made the show very personal. Cisco treated us to his guitar skills during multiple songs, Mod Sun even came out at one point to join in on percussion, & Cisco jumped into the crowd twice, getting his signature style hat taken by a fan then consequently returned to him during a later song. Upon the first notes of “Buzzin,” the crowd went wild & all began singing in unison. The same happened for “Drunk Off Your Love,” the newest single/video from the Island In The Sun album that dropped September 13 on Bananabeat Records. Next up for Cisco & Shwayze on their Island In The Sun Tour is a stop at The Roxy Theater in LA on November 23, which coincidentally is the location of the “Drunk Off Your Love” video. Everything comes full circle… check out Mod Sun, Cisco Adler & Shwayze before this epic tour is over!

Mod Sun