Cherry S/T reunion – Dagnese – West 40 – Heartbeat City – at The Hard Rock Cafe – Boston, MA

In 2008, a Boston band named Cherry S/T broke up.  They left behind a loyal fan base, four beautifully produced indie albums and many licensed songs. They almost got signed too, but some dumb executive made a bad decision and the deal fell through at the last minute. It was heartbreaking, but the reason their breakup was so sad, was because they were so good and everybody who heard them knew it.When I discovered their final album, A Diary To Burn By, I never imagined I’d get the chance to hear them play live.

But on Friday, October 12th at the Hard Rock Café in Boston, Cherry S/T performed a sold out, one-night reunion show. It wasn’t easy either, their bassist had to fly in from Oregon. Fans in the audience were having trouble believing what they were about to see.

The show kicked off at 9pm with indie singer-songwriter Dagnese, followed by the strong, angst-driven metal of West 40. Up third was Heartbreak City, a great 80’s cover band whose talented vocalist sang everything from Aha’s nearly soprano “Take On Me” to “Ghostbusters” to “Hungry Like The Wolf” with equal vivacity and the crowd danced.

Then the chanting began: “CST” and “Cherry- S-T!” I couldn’t get to the front of the stage it was so packed with fans ready to have their minds blown.  When the band finally entered, the crowd roared.  Their guitarist Dan asked the audience in disbelief, “Is this really happening?”

Cherry S/T tightly blasted into their first song with lead singer Bob Bowser using it all to vent his anger with clear vocals and a fearless performance.  He wasted no time, getting to the front of the stage and singing straight into the crowd.  They ripped into songs from all their albums with “Save Me”, “Sea of Scarlet” and “Burning Memories” escalating the night into an emotional explosion.  Their collective history was also clear between songs, when band members ribbed each other: “So how do you pronounce Oregon again?”

After they were finished, the band exited the stage. As people shouted for an encore, Dan the guitarist came on and told everyone how much his girlfriend had meant to him during the past year. Then he asked for Bella to join him onstage so he could introduce her to the audience.  The crowd parted and there she shyly stood, when he suddenly dropped to his knees and asked her to marry him! She was surprised, but immediately took the mic and said, “Yes”.  As they kissed, the crowd erupted in cheers! Then the band fired into three encore songs, all infused with a sense of happiness from Dan who was practically glowing while shredding.

When the lights finally went down at 1:30, everyone felt they had witnessed something truly special; a band brought back to life and an intimate moment, which wrapped it all up and gave us all hope for new beginnings.

                             More photos of the show can be seen HERE

                                                                          

-Gabriel Barbaro-
Big Wheel Contributor

 

 

 

 

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