Written and Photos by Bang Ho
In a bold move, Saint Motel had a tour stop in Austin at Stubbs on March 8th 2025 on the premiere weekend of SXSW 2025 that thrilled Austinites and out of towners alike during the start of a week filled with music. I am extremely lucky and have gotten to see Saint Motel 4 times in a variety of different sized venues from the cozy sized Antone’s to the larger Emo’s and Stubbs over the years, and no matter the location, the one thing in these dynamic performances that remained the same was the guaranteed entertainment that shined through the theatricality. Each tour has a different theme, from an awards show where fans voted on favorite song of the performance to an old time TV show. This tour was no different with the theme being a symphony in the sky, with a screen behind the band showing the shadow of a quartet playing various orchestra instruments. No matter the venue, front man A/J never fails to engage the crowd fully. Every performance that I’ve seen, he has gone not just out into the crowd, but sometimes all the way around the crowd with them singing along in tow and sometimes even walking and dancing on the bar. As the show wrapped up and A/J left the stage, I thought the end of an era where he went out into the crowd was over, only to hear the crowd erupt a few minutes later as he appeared in the middle of the venue at the sound board and started making his way through the crowd to the stage singing the first encore song “A Bluer Blue.” On an unseasonably cold night that appropriately ended with “Cold Cold Man,” the crowd in an open air venue was warmed with a show that had everyone moving and dancing along. Will I ever get tired of seeing Saint Motel live after all this time? Highly dubious.
