Downtown Roseville is beautiful at night. With its unique buildings such as the Tower Theater and various eclectic bars and restaurants, the neighborhood has an endearing and welcoming quality. The area was the perfect setting for a sold-out show featuring Mod Sun, and according to the singer, fans broke the record for the amount of people who came to the venue. 

I walked up to the Goldfield Trading Post, feeling excited for the big event, and the massive crowd that started lining up hours before doors were set to open at 7:15 p.m. no doubt felt that same anticipation. I grabbed my place in line, about a block down from the front doors, and immediately noticed the diversity of the crowd. People of all ages, including families and older concert-goers, were excitedly chatting among themselves in appropriate band attire. 

Once we started getting ushered in, it was surprising to see just how intimate the venue was, especially considering the number of people that were piling inside. The room immediately became humid, as crowds rushed and pushed their way as close as possible to the stage. But no matter where you stood, the beauty of the small bar space was that you could clearly see the performers. 

One could also look around and view the various Western-style decorations along the walls, such as hanging deer antlers, a bison head and a large lit-up mural in the back depicting people from the time of the California Gold Rush. The decorations made me chuckle a bit considering the pop punk artist who was about to play here.

At around 8 p.m., the first opener of the night came out to the excitement of many. The solo rapper, called Pardyalone, said that he was a close friend of Mod Sun’s, and proudly shared the same home state of Minnesota. The 22-year-old rapper energized the crowd with his vocals, displaying a smooth vibrato and upbeat flow. What made his show particularly moving was the heartfelt emotion he brought into his lyrics and tone, expressing his thoughts on love, relationships and heartbreak. 

If the venue was considered a Western-style bar before, it certainly wasn’t as the second opening act of the night, Stand Atlantic, lit up the stage in flashing neon and filled the room with their energetic punk-rock. The Australian punk band got the crowd jumping and screaming during each of their songs, most notably their song titled “Deathwish.” Lead singer Bonnie Fraser brought the head-banging energy needed to prepare the audience for Mod Sun’s much-awaited performance.

Nearly two hours after we got into the venue, Mod Sun walked up onstage to the warmed-up crowd, who were now screaming as they awaited his performance. The 35-year-old artist began typing on a typewriter, tore up the page, and then typed again. This opening to his concert led fans to anticipate what was to come, and expect the unexpected.

From there, energy only increased as he opened up the concert performing a majority of his songs from his new album, “God Save The Teen,” which had been released at the beginning of the month. The singer also made a standout performance of “Stay Away,” featuring friend and collaborator Machine Gun Kelly, and “Karma,” which had the entire crowd singing along. In between songs, Mod Sun proudly declared, “This is my first time playing these songs, we’ve come to celebrate!” 

Mod Sun’s music is largely characterized by a catchy pop punk inspired tune, yet is carried through by heartfelt lyrics describing times of struggle, heartbreak and triumph in his life. Many of his songs have become anthems for living life to the fullest and never taking moments for granted.

Toward the end of the show, Mod Sun talked about some of his personal struggles, such as addiction. He shared his story of sobriety, motivated his audience to get past tough moments in life and encouraged them to push themselves to achieve their true potential. 

At around 11 p.m., it was time for the concert to be brought to an end. Due to the enthusiastic chanting from the crowd, cheering for “Mod Sun” to reappear one last time, the artist granted their wishes and came back for an encore. The night came to a close with Mod Sun and the audience, still fully energized, singing along to “Perfectly Imperfect.” 

Pop punk artist Mod Sun exemplifies what it means to be present and engaging onstage, and I would recommend anyone who is a fan or a listener of the pop punk genre, to consider grabbing a ticket to experience Mod Sun’s “God Save The Teen” tour.