Sound Script

Residing on Midvale’s main street, The Pearl on Main is what I would call a hidden gem of a venue. On July 11th, it played host to a night of some of the best punk rock bands that Utah has to offer: Alpine Loop, Swerved by Blondes, Allbrook Station, and our headliner – I’d Rather Be. With how hot the venue was inside, it was hard to believe that these bands could turn up the heat even more, but did not leave the crowd disappointed. 

I’d Rather Be has a punk rock sound that rivals any other big punk rock band produced by Travis Barker himself, but they are making their mark right here in Utah. With this show being their first ever headlining set, it was bound to be an exciting night for such an exciting milestone. Starting their set off very strongly with their song “Romeo,” I’d Rather Be sounded like a well-oiled machine, taking the stage with confidence in their talent and synergy between bandmates. It goes to show just how much they trust each other’s talent with the way frontman, Hela, would go on to perform the set after losing his in-ear monitors. One key thing throughout this whole performance is the confidence emitting from everyone on stage, and with that, there was not anything that the band couldn’t handle on their first ever headlining show. 

Making their way through their set, the crowd was completely taken by the performance. The crowd participation was at an all time high. WIth most of these songs that were played not being on any streaming services, you could tell that they were hits based on how the crowd danced and jumped to each one. The antics on stage were also a big part of what made this show so fun. From the bassist ripping open Pokemon packs to Hela’s sister coming out on stage to perform with the band, it felt as though the band had a real connection to their hometown crowd. 

Nearing the final stretch of their set, I’d Rather Be would go on to play a song called “Sò Rezo,” in which Hela sang the whole song in Portuguese. It was a special moment in the set and was insanely impressive having a whole song in a whole different language from the rest of the set. Following this song, the band would go on to play their rendition of “Toxic,” to which the crowd went absolutely crazy. This part of the set was so chaotic and fun, Hela even broke the mic stand. Ending off their set, they would play their two released songs, “Too Far Gone” (written with Kellin Quinn of Sleeping w/ Sirens), and “Greedy,” their latest single. With a big finish, the show came to a close, and I’d Rather Be’s first ever headlining show would go down in the books as an extremely great night of killer punk rock music. 

I’d Rather Be is a band that needs to be seen live in order to understand just how hard they work to make a great performance. Their love for the scene and punk rock music really shines through their stage presence and live sound. I would love to see them headline places like Soundwell in the future, as this is a band that is deserving of a growing audience, and a bigger stage. 

Full gallery for I’d Rather Be @ The Pearl On Main

Photos by Caelen Thomas