A Night With Peach Pit at The Pageant, St. Louis
- Michelle Zigler
- Oct 5
- 3 min read
I found myself on Delmar Loop last week when I went to see Peach Pit perform live at The Pageant in St. Louis, MO, and it was while attending this concert that I had some interesting realizations about live music. But before I get to that, let me first tell you about this amazing performance.
It was a lovely Sunday evening in September, the Missouri air had plenty of time to cool down in the hours following sunset, and just an hour before showtime I got the terrific news that I would be photographing Peach Pit’s concert that night. I quickly raced to change and pack my things before I was out the door and on my way to The Pageant.
The Pageant is one of the most popular music venues in the heart of St. Louis where I have been seeing bands perform since I was as young as 13. It’s spacious and accommodating for all concert-going types, with a large pit on the ground floor for those who like being close to the action, many cafe tables for the folks who prefer sitting back while they listen to their favorite artists, and lastly the balcony upstairs where you can peer down and take in the entire performance from above.
The opener for the evening was Miya Folick, the LA-based, indie folk-rock singer and songwriter. She sat in a chair in the center of the wide and empty stage with a guitar in hand, with the warm yellow glow of the stage lights illuminating her presence. As Miya’s performance began, I found it so interesting how casual the moment felt. She gently spoke to the audience, telling stories, and speaking as if she was having a normal conversation with the audience. I looked around and noticed a group of young women just behind the railing of the stage, their elbows propped up with their faces held in their palms as they smiled while listening to Miya. It was a refreshing sight to see–less like a concert and more like a poetry reading, as Folick would speak and then transition into song, her lyrics another story to be told.
This concert was just one of many stops for Peach Pit as they tour the country, showcasing the expansion of last year’s Magpie album release. The album highlights more of their unique take on indie pop which began growing a following when the Canadian group first formed in 2016.
When the lights came on and the stage was lit, I was amazed to see a mass of swirling colors and large orange glowing circles backlighting Peach Pit as they stood before us. The juxtaposition between the two sets was a jarring contrast, a statement made not only with the music being heard, but with how the lighting set the scene for the rest of the night. In that moment, I realized just how significant a role the stage plays in a live performance. How the lighting is positioned, the mood and tone from the overlap of color, remaining seated in a single chair versus standing and chaotically dancing about.
Both sets that evening were impressive in their own unique ways based on how the artists presented themselves. Miya gave us intimacy and warmth, whereas Peach Pit brought the bizarrely wonderful macabre. As the show progressed through “Alrighty Aphrodite” and “Give Up Baby Go,” Peach Pit stood in unison, swaying their heads back and forth, their long locks swinging like pendulums. Deep hues of greens and blues drowned them in polka dotted light, their singing mouths illuminated while their eyes hid in the shadows. It was beautiful and at times eerie, but made for an incredible performance through the duality of light and sound.
I wasn’t sure what direction the evening would take, but I’m glad I made it in time to see it through. We spend so much time listening to the music we love, but often forget how the lyrics we hear can be transformed when we see it live. Music is an art, but live music is its own special form of media that, with care and careful attention, can be equally as moving when seen as when it is heard.
