What was initially a desire to see ROLE MODEL, turned into pure excitement to see THE BLSSM and concluded with an incredible experience of seeing them both. On May 10th, the artists performed at New York’s Terminal 5, a huge 3,000 person venue somehow hidden in midtown Manhattan. I showed up at 6:30 p.m. for a show that wouldn’t start until 8 p.m., and still there were at least 1,000 people in front of me in line — each artist has incredibly dedicated fans.

THE BLSSM graced the stage first, their immense energy on full display from the get-go. From the very first song, the crowd-inviting “NOT TODAY,” to running across the stage, to emphatically playing the guitar, THE BLSSM brought out the best in everyone during their performance. A separate live guitarist and drummer enhanced their alt-rock style, creating an incredible atmosphere throughout their set. They played all the songs from their spectacular new EP, PURE ENERGY, as well as some of my personal all-time favorite songs of their’s including “SPORTS CAR” and “HARDCORE HAPPY.” If you ever get a chance to see THE BLSSM live, I cannot suggest it enough.

A quick 20 minutes later, ROLE MODEL dramatically entered the stage with “if jesus saves, she’s my type.” It felt as though every single person there knew all the words to each song, and were singing as loudly as they could the entire time — it was unlike anything I’d witnessed before. He took us on a roller coaster of a set, intertwining tracks from his new album, "Rx," with older songs. He played “for the people in the back,” “hello,” “notice me,” and of course, “blind” among my favorites from the album such as “die for my bitch” and “who hurt you.” He captivated the audience throughout, keeping them occupied between each song, whether that was a call and response or reading fans’ signs. At the end of some songs, he would semi-pretend the set was over by shouting out “Thank you, we are the Dave Matthews Band” among other names that clearly are not him. It was an incredible experience of two artists that I would’ve seen on their own any day of the week.