Sports Team at SXSW 2023
As I stood by on Thursday night waiting for Sports Team to take the stage, two thoughts ran through my mind that had me realizing that I am well on my way to curmudgeon status as I get older:
1) My tolerance for packed shows at venues like the Horseshoe has dwindled considerably in recent years.
2) My patience for bands not being onstage at exactly their scheduled set time is also significantly lower.
Yup, I am a grumpy old man now. So be it.
Nevertheless, all that was forgiven once Sports Team took to the stage (about 15-20 minutes later than announced, but whatever) as the English band put on an immensely entertaining show. Lead singer Alex Rice is an engaging frontman, full of rock ‘n’ roll swagger and attitude, while the rest of the band matches his energy perfectly, even if some sound issues meant that the keyboards weren’t always audible onstage on this occasion.
Highlight of their set included numbers like “The Drop” and “Unstuck” off the latest album Gulp! as well as older tracks like “Kutcher” and “M5,” though the biggest surprise of the night came when the band slipped into a small snippet of a song from an iconic Canadian group.
In his introduction to “The Drop,” Rice announced to the crowd how happy they were to be playing in “the greatest country in the world, in the greatest city in the world” and while his professed love of Canada seemed sincere enough, that statement did seem to be laying it on a bit thick. Yet Rice demonstrated that their Canuck love was bona fide as he slipped into a brief a cappella rendition of a few lines from The Tragically Hip’s “Boots or Hearts.” Was he inspired by the mural of Gord Downie on the Horseshoe’s walls? Could be, but whatever the reason, it was a welcome surprise.
Before launching into the band’s breakout track “Here’s The Thing,” Rice announced that they had three songs left in their set and that there would be no encore. I appreciate a band who’s upfront about that sort of thing. Maybe it appeals to the grumpy curmudgeon in me? I don’t know, but I do know that this grumpy old curmudgeon walked away from the Sports Team show feeling like just a little bit less of a grump.
