The Backseat Lovers: Waiting to Spill World Tour
With a simple stage production and visuals, The Backseat Lovers’ complex and layered instrumentals intertwined with the lead vocalist’s captivating voice kept the audience of the Fillmore Philly constantly engaged. Concertgoers who did not know the songs could not help but sway along to the music, mirroring the exciting energy all around them as the die-hard fans sang the songs perfectly, lyric-by-lyric.
On Wednesday, May 31, 2023, the alternative rock band The Backseat Lovers played at The Fillmore in Philadelphia. The Fillmore, located in Fishtown, has a capacity of 2,500, a size that The Backseat Lovers’ audience almost entirely filled. Fans began entering the venue at 7 pm in preparation for the 8 pm show.
The Backseat Lovers formed in 2018 and has steadily gained popularity, primarily after they released their hit song “Kilby Girl” in 2019, which has gained over 200 million streams on Spotify. Led by lead singer and guitarist Joshua Harmon, the band includes lead guitarist Jonas Swanson, bass guitarist KJ Ward and drummer and background vocalist Juice Welch. The four-person band has only released two albums, When We Were Friends (2019) and Waiting to Spill (2022), in addition to various singles and an extended play (EP), or a collection of typically three to six songs.
Starting from the end of January into the summer of 2023, The Backseat Lovers have been traveling on their world tour for their new album Waiting to Spill, released on October 28, 2022. While mainly focusing on their new album, their setlist still included many of their When We Were Friends album hits such as “Pool House” and “Maple Syrup”.
They divided their world tour into the Australia and New Zealand Tour 2023, the European and United Kingdom Tour 2023, and the United States and Canada Tour 2023. Their world tour started in New Zealand on April 1, with February 12 marking the end of their Australia and New Zealand Tour after eight performances. Then, performing at 16 different venues across seven different countries, the band finished their European and United Kingdom Tour in mid-April. The Backseat Lovers finally returned to the stages of North America on April 18 when they played Vancouver. Their tour includes performances at 22 venues across the United States and Canada in less than a month and a half. The band’s performance in Philadelphia was the third to last of their world tour, with June 3 marking the end.
Many fans love the Backseat Lovers for the relatable or intriguing stories their songs tell, the uniqueness of Harmon’s voice, the strong guitar lines or the powerful drums. For whatever reason that may appeal to the individual, the band is able to attract all ages to their concerts, from young teenagers to middle-aged couples.
