‘Spontaneous Energy’

Standing in the pit just before a concert, feeling like a sardine crushed against strangers, you look up at the stage anxiously waiting for the band you paid to see. Generally, there is an opening act first, amping up the crowd for the main event.

Unless you were at the Backseat Lover’s concert in Cleveland at the end of July.

When the time came, you watched the band you came to see walk on stage, opening their own concert with some acoustic songs.

Bassist KJ Ward recounted this story when discussing the “spontaneous energy” the band felt during the Turning Point Tour. The opening act fell through, so the band followed an impulse and opened up their own set.

The Backseat Lovers play a sold-out show at McDonald Theater on Aug. 14, supported by the band Mercury. In a conversation with Eugene Weekly, guitarist Jonas Swanson and Ward spoke about the impulsivity and risks the band is successfully pulling off this tour.

“I feel like we can take more risks in a live show with the set,” Swanson says, “doing more unplanned and unrehearsed stuff.”

The band has been embellishing parts of songs as they see fit, and sometimes going into a longer jam if the energy is right, Swanson says. In his eyes, it’s a great way to keep things interesting and fun.

But more than just their current songs, Swanson says the band has also been adding new, unreleased songs to their sets. New releases are coming “very, very soon,” he says.

On this tour the Backseat Lovers have played major festivals such as the Newport Folk Festival and Sea.Hear.Now Festival and are headed for the Firefly Music Festival coming up. And the band has just wrapped up a performance at Outside Lands in San Francisco. In between festivals, the band has played sold-out concerts throughout the US and Canada.

With this kind of schedule, it’s impressive that The Backstreet Lovers have played together for only a few years. Swanson says the band started playing together and recording its first EP, “Elevator Days,” back in 2017. The EP was released in 2018.

Ward and Swanson say they are grateful for the fans and family that have supported their journey.

“Being able to play these festivals and continue to see our fan base grow has just been really special for us,” Ward says. “We’re just really, really grateful for all the support to help us get to this point.”

The Backseat Lovers play McDonald Theatre on Aug. 14. Doors open at 7 pm, with music starting at 8 pm. Tickets are sold out.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!