The Magic Stick, Detroit – The room was dim, the crowd freshly dressed in flannel shirts, dirty hair, and
drinking PBR as the awaited Cleveland, OH 4 piece, Cloud Nothings.
After Detroit Natives, Citizen Smile played their energetic set, which clocked in 30 minutes. Within a
few short laps around the Garden Bowl, the crowd began piling straight to the center stage as the most
anticipated band of the night. With a few helping hands, singer-song writer Dylan Baldi began setting
the stage and working out the levels on their gear.
As Baldi left the stage, headed to the backroom, the fan-boy inside of me belted out salutations that
did not impress. As he passed by through the side stage, the slip of the tongue came out and said “Hey,
dude!” Instead of a nod of recognition back, his voice spoke out an “Okay…” with a condescending
overtone. I was not put off by this, as the internet has told me – most musicians can’t talk.
Cloud Nothings, followed by what appeared to be “groupies,” began making their way to the stage with
looks of discomfort and nervousness. Maybe they were just tired from sleeping in a van.
Kicking off with the fan favorite “Stay Useless” from Attack on Memory, the mood was set and the
audience was ready for whatever. With their toes feeling the water, the set began to blossom into the
transitions this band has overcome in only 4 years. The art of scripting out an entire set with only 30
minutes to play, and still taking advantage of the songs that captured a majority of attendees in the
crowd is a gift; well down, Cleveland rockers.
The epitome of the show revolved around a stigma of new songs, all of which changed the Cloud
Nothings those know today. The raw energy, bittersweet vocals and malfunctioning of guitars
during “Wasted Day’s” became a surreal glimpse of what it means to grow a pop band from a dormroom
to a national touring act. Baldi must not be regretting his choice to become a college dropout, while only
being in his late teens.
When the time came to pull the curtain on the 45 minute set, Baldi went to the microphone
saying, “Thanks, we’re Cloud Nothings.”
Attack on Memory was released this January and has already been getting attention, receiving nothing
but high marks across the board. Now, we just have to wait for either the next record, or another show
one doesn’t miss just because the Red Wings are on.
It’s time to let these guys off the leash, time to put them on them on the radar – not just a blip.
Mentionable Songs from the Set: “Forget You All the Time”, “Understand at All”, “Fall In”, “Wasted
Days”, “Separation”, and their latest single, “No Future/No Past”.