Concert Review: Soccer Mommy & Peel Dream Magazine @ Turner Hall Ballroom — 4/8/22

During the finale — “Scorpio Rising” — a solo Sophie.

I love concerts of all shapes and sizes. I’ve been to shows that barely had a hundred in the audience and to festivals that might have touched one hundred thousand. Gigs in arenas and stadiums, where you’re just a tiny ripple in an endless ocean of fans loud enough to shatter a glass tower, are normally an unforgettable spectacle in their own right. Booming fireworks, a stage that seems to make the Sears Tower look dwarfish, and lights that the International Space Station could spot from orbit are all part of the entertaining (and yes, probably expensive) trick. I love these shows. But there’s just something about small concerts and how exclusive, intimate, and natural they are that give any set with all of the bells and whistles in the world a run for its money. Just six days after I saw the regal Elton John on his glitzy farewell arena tour in Milwaukee, I returned to the city to catch one of these tiny, personal performances that couldn’t have been more unlike its predecessor: the rising indie rocker Soccer Mommy and her intriguing opening band Peel Dream Magazine.

Had to go all red for the devilish rendition of “lucy”!

Soccer Mommy has been on my “must-see” list for years. On-stage, Sophie Allison and company comprise the titular mother, but away from the crowds, the Nashville inhabitant is neither a huge football head nor is she a parent — she’s just Sophie. I’ve listened to her religiously ever since her debut album Clean dropped back in 2018, and a quick listen to that record, her newest offering Color Theory (2020), or any of her pre-debut demos, compilations, or extended plays would quickly showcase her talents as a prolific instrumentalist, a poetic songwriter, and a quiet innovator in the indie rock sub-genre of bedroom pop. To say I am a fan of hers is putting it mildly. I missed the chance to catch her set at Pitchfork Music Festival in 2019 (and kicked myself every day after) and couldn’t attend the opportunities to see her both in Chicago and Nashville on the first leg of the Color Theory tour. Thank God I was able to snag a ticket to see her on another cold April night in Brew City.

Don’t exactly remember when this was from — maybe her Slowdive cover of “Dagger”?

When I first entered the Turner Hall Ballroom (just a hop and a skip away from the old friend Fiserv Forum), I was shocked to see that I was one of only maybe twenty other ticketholders in the venue. I arrived shortly after the doors opened, bought a shirt at the merch booth in a split second, and felt like I had lobsters crawling out of my ears as I stood alone in the center of the floor, hoping the Odell Gym-esque room would fill up. Any little worry I had about a patchy audience for the acts to play for faded instantly once the lights dimmed and the Los Angeles-based Peel Dream Magazine strolled out. I had never listened to them before, but they sure were different and they sure were neat. I can’t place a label on exactly what genre they were, but I loved how much energy they provided to us watching them, which is exactly what the most important job is for any opening act(s) to do. They nailed it and I’d love to catch them live again one day.

Here are Peel Dream Magazine — the bass player and the keyboardist also played during Soccer Mommy’s set.

Allison and her bandmates first entered the stage so unassumingly that if you didn’t know who they were beforehand, you’d peg them for the crew. In a sense, they were. Short a bass player and armed with a can-do attitude (just like her music), they did a quick sound check to a fixated field of fans and as if it never happened, the band departed the stage, the lights cut, and again they arrived with a proper entrance packed with applause. Once Sophie and company led off with “bloodstream” off Color Theory, I was in a trance for the next hour-plus. For a bit, it seemed like I was the only attendee in the dark crowd. It was like nobody else was there — just me and the band that I was so close to, we could be playing catch. The set wasn’t perfect. The group skipped out on a couple of songs I’d been dying to hear, presumably due to the absent bass player that two members of Peel Dream Magazine and Sophie herself filled in on when needed. Occasionally the flow of the show fumbled but was swiftly recovered. This doesn’t really matter though, because in the end, you’ll probably never get a set that is concocted solely for you. The experience overall is what makes any quality concert a flawless one.

“bloodstream” was the first song from Soccer Mommy’s set.

In just shy of two months, Soccer Mommy’s third studio album Sometimes, Forever (2022) will be released to the public and I can’t wait to listen to it. I normally shy away from pre-record singles, but I broke the rule to listen to “Shotgun” (that was just performed live on The Tonight Show last night), and it sure is an earworm. Maybe Soccer Mommy is one of those singers, bands, or acts we are all fans of that you love no matter what they release. It’s too early to tell in that department. One thing I know for sure is that even if you don’t know who she is, whether she one day headlines Lollapalooza or just stays in her own lane, I urge you to check her out. I’m sure glad I did nearly four years ago and I’m excited to see where she is four years from now.

My favorite part of the show was the few songs Sophie did solo.0

Setlist for Soccer Mommy (from a similar show on 4/10/22): https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/soccer-mommy/2022/granada-theater-lawrence-ks-63b6e6e7.html

Setlist for Peel Dream Magazine (from a similar show on 4/4/22): https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/peel-dream-magazine/2022/the-athenaeum-theatre-columbus-oh-6bb69ad2.html