By Photojournalist Georgia Lingerfelt
Saturday night, Bryce Vine took his aptly named tour to St Petersburg with a packed out show at Jannus live. The crowd seemed to be full of spring breakers and St Pattys celebrators alike who were ready to dance to the artists energetic and upbeat music. The openers and headline act brought the energy to one of the biggest shows on the nationwide tour.
Vine has cited eclectic influences for his music over the years. He grew up going back and forth between New York and LA. His father gave him a love of west coast hip hop while his mother passed down an appreciation for the world of pop. These influences come to life in his work as he pairs melodic rap with catchy singing in the majority of his releases to date. Vine’s song “La La Land” chronicles his life in Los Angeles, where he now resides when not on tour. His genre bending nature on full display as he brought out his opener, Hoodie Allen, to cover “All Star” by Smash Mouth and then followed with a snippet of Sublime’s “Doin’ Time.”
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, Bryce donned green beads, adding a festive touch to the performance. He even ventured into the crowd. At first, he stuck to the railings of the barricade, but later he jumped right in. Fans circled him, eager to document the star up close. Even the venue staff seemed to appreciate the show, a few of them could be spotted singing along to one of the artists most popular songs, “Drew Barrymore”.
Bryce Vine closed out his set with the song that kick-started his career 10 years ago, “Sour Patch Kids”. Right as the first chorus began, a fan threw a bag of the aforementioned candy on stage which Vine smoothly caught. Sugary, sweet is a perfect way to describe his music style. Many of his songs feel reminiscent of a hot summer night spent in good company. With spring on the horizon and Tampa Bay heating up, this is exactly the feeling Bryce Vine’s show brought to fans. As the song played out, Vine said his thank-you’s to the crowd and wished everyone a good night. The audience spilled out into the warm Florida night, still humming his tunes.
