Cherub’s Two-night Lincoln Stand | 10.25.16 & 10.

By Hannah Rivers
Photos by Cameron O’Brien
Oct. 28, 2016

Normally downtown Lincoln would be pretty tame on a weeknight, but Tuesday and Wednesday were exceptions. Playing their usual two-night show, Cherub tore up the Bourbon on both nights, giving Lincolnites a reason to go out and stay out.

Australian hip-hop duo Boo Seeka and Los Angeles electronic group Frenship opened both shows.

An electro-indie duo from Nashville, Tenn., Cherub was formed in 2010 by Jordan Kelley and Jason Huber. Singed to Columbia Records., the band is no stranger to Lincoln; they play a show here every year. This current tour is in promotion of their new album, “Bleed Gold, Piss Excellence.”

The first night was full of promise. It had been almost a year since Cherub had played in Lincoln and the crowd was excited to hear the new songs, as well as their old favorites. If you weren’t familiar with the band’s music, it would have been difficult to discern whether a specific song was old or new. You couldn’t tell by looking at the crowd; everyone was ecstatic whatever was playing. With open arms they welcomed the material that had just come out, feeding the insatiable appetite for music and movement that is a trademark of any die-hard Cherub fan.

During the concert, Cherub announced that they would be going over to Bodega’s after the show to DJ. And so everyone hung out outside of the Bourbon, slowly making their way to Bodega’s for the last hour of fun. Selfies were taken with the band members, karaoke was performed and lives were fulfilled.

And that was just night one.

Just as many people showed up to the show on Wednesday night. You wouldn’t have known it was the second night of the concert. Cherub’s energy was at the same impossibly high level and the crowd was still as hyped up as ever. It wasn’t a repeat of the previous night’s show. The set list was different, the feel was slightly altered and you still didn’t know what to expect of the night to come.

“F*** technology because that sh** sucks,” said Kelley at the beginning of the show.

And though we were all recording the moment using technology, the message had been sent: it wasn’t about the reminiscence. It was about the moment. 

As with night one, Cherub waited until the very last second to play “Doses and Mimosas”. It was the final song of their encore and the moment everyone had been waiting for. The crowd had been wild from the very beginning, but when the opening notes of “Doses” started up, it was something else all together. The band took a while to get into the song and this made the crowd even more pumped. By the time the chorus dropped, it had hit full-on rave status. Every word was sung by a multitude of voices and every beat was matched by the clashing of bodies.

After the show, Cherub and their fans went to Bodega’s again. But all too soon it was
2 a.m. The bars were closed and people were going home. But not everyone was ending the night. The members of Cherub were still very much awake and, consequently, a small group of fans was as well.

Through the most random of circumstances, I found myself in a car on my way to a house on the north side of town — with Jason Huber of Cherub in the backseat. He sat forward, body inclined toward me as we talked about the show. I asked him if he ever gets sick of playing “Doses and Mimosas.’’

To my surprise, he said no. Even though they play the song at every single concert (they have to, or else people would riot), the crowd’s reaction makes it worthwhile for Huber. Seeing their faces light up and their bodies move with even greater feeling never gets old for him. And just from the few times I’ve seen Cherub perform, I know for certain that it is an amazing sight to see.

Hannah Rivers and Cameron O’Brien are two of KZUM’s tireless fall interns.