ICON FOR HIRE AT MERCURY LOUNGE IN NEW YORK CITY
Icon For Hire made their way out to the Mercury Lounge in New York City for a killer show! First off, I must acknowledge the amazing crew behind Icon For Hire. From start to finish, every person I came in contact with was polite and helpful the entire night. Their tour manager made me feel like part of the team and made sure if I needed something, I got it. Right before the start of the set, I was able to meet their touring drummer Harley DeWinter. I was rocking one of "his boss’s" (his words) t-shirts! We had a great talk with some good laughs, but it was time for him to hit the stage and “make a move”!
I have been a fan of Icon For Hire since they hit the scene back in the mid 2000's. “Make A Move” was one of the band’s original hits and it was a perfect way to start the set! Fans, old and new, all started screaming and cheering with their devil horns in the air. There were some technical difficulties during this song, but like the true professionals they are, Ariel (lead vocalist) and Harley didn't miss a beat while Shawn Jump (lead guitar and backing vocals) took care and fixed the minor glitch. The show continued with amazing sound, stage presence and lighting, and one hit after another. We were surprised and treated mid set with a nice acoustic break down.
Ariel and Shawn are one great match both off and on stage. On stage, the chemistry is just amazing. They vibe off one another and made this show grow with excitement, one song after the next. When you add in the amazing drumming from Harley, this is a show you should not have missed! Their sound is everything from alternative rock, to pop punk, with a splash of some electronic and metal. Other hits they played throughout the night were “Venom”, “Supposed To Be”, “Hollow” and a special acoustic version of "Too Loud". The crowd was non-stop voicing their love and excitement for having the leaders of the ICON ARMY present on stage in front of them! To make this night even more special for their loyal fans, Ariel invited some lucky members of the ICON ARMY to join her on stage to sing and rock out. This is what rock and roll is all about! Both Ariel and Shawn were constantly reaching out to their loyal fans, giving them high fives and fist pumps when the opportunity struck.
As the show came to an end after playing "Demons", I was lucky enough (and siked!) to join the band on stage for their encore. Ariel immediately made eye contact with me, and Shawn was all over that stage giving the fans what they wanted. They gave me a great photo op when Shawn did his famous guitar toss around, not once, but twice! Harley made sure to show the camera some love as well as I made my way to the back towards his set. Shawn's guitar tech pulled me to the side to give me a heads up that he was about to shoot a confetti gun off and wanted to make sure I got a good spot for the shot. Again, I have to acknowledge just how amazing and real not only the band members are, but their entire crew that works with them. The encore was rocked with "Off With Her Head" and "Get Well", which any true Icon For Hire fan would walk away from with nothing but smiles and a massive feeling of joy.
It was a bit of a struggle to leave after the show ended, but for a great reason. The line of fans that remained and patiently waited to see Ariel and her band mates blew me away. It amazed me to see the loyalty that both the band showed the fans, and the fans showed the band. Shawn stopped me outside to thank me for shooting their show and chatted with me for several minutes, making sure to tell me to hit them up next time they are in the area so we can all grab a drink before that show. Real people, real rock stars. Another thank you to Ariel, Shawn, Harley, Patrick and the entire crew of Icon For Hire for making this night amazing for myself and all the fans! Definitely be sure to catch them next time they make their way to your city!