The Chevin, Mercury Lounge, 8/30/12

In all my years of concert-going, there has only been one opening act that I ended up liking better than the headlining band I came to see. During my sophomore year of college, I went to see The Bravery and while they put on a great show, they weren't the band still on my mind at the end of the night. Instead, I had fallen in love with Your Vegas, the British opener. From the moment the twinkly "Troubled Times" started up, I knew this was the band for me.

My friends and I ended up attending several Your Vegas shows after that, and I was continually blown away by the band's performances. The venues were tiny, the kind where the musicians usually mill around with the audience before and after. I specifically remember walking in the door once and lead singer Coyle Girelli was standing right there, as if he had been just waiting to greet us with hugs. But the size of the venue didn't stop Your Vegas from putting on an impressive show. These are professional musicians, c'mon. 

Then suddenly, all the fun was over. They stopped playing shows near me and changed their name to The Chevin. A few years went by but I kept tabs on the band, and when the new EP was released in the U.K. last winter, I scoured the Internet to find it (don't worry, I bought it legally). 

Anyway, all this back story is leading up to last night, when I finally had the chance to see The Chevin play again. And man, I couldn't believe how far they've come. They sold out the Mercury Lounge a night after making their national television debut on The Late Show with David Letterman. I found myself beaming like a proud mother while I watched both the broadcast and the show. Reunited and it feels so right. The Chevin deserves so much attention, and I'm glad more and more people are catching on.

In the words of Letterman: "Holy crap! That's good."