By Patrick Loftus, news correspondent
Carson Daly, who raved about rock/pop band Alberta Cross when they played his show earlier this month, would have been equally impressed with the Brooklyn-based band’s performance Sunday, Sept. 26 at the Middle East Downstairs in Cambridge.
Playing to a close following of about 40 people, the show featured opening performances by Mean Creek and Dead Confederate. By the time the main act came on stage, the crowd, a small, yet responsive mix of 20-somethings, had been marinated in a delightful broth of dreamy/post-grunge/indie rock by Mean Creek, a local band, and dosed with an even heavier helping of psychedelic/groove rock from Athens, Ga. band Dead Confederate.
When Alberta Cross started playing, however, the crowd gave way to an almost palpable sense of musical euphoria in response to the torrential drums and wailing guitar riffs of “Leave Us and Forgive Us.”
Almost immediately following the first few songs, an audience member called out “ATX,” requesting the band play their big hit from their current studio album “Broken Side of Time.”
“Oh no, no, it’s much too early for that kind of stuff,” said Petter Ericson Stakee, the band’s vocalist and guitarist, as he laughed and pointed to the overly-excited fan.
To the crowd’s surprise and delight, Stakee introduced a new song the band had been working on. He neglected to mention the song’s name, but the crowd took to the beat and the rhythm instantly.
At several points in the show, the crowd erupted into a fervent chorus, singing along with Stakee to songs like “Old Man Chicago,” “Song Three Blues” and the heavy-hearted ballad “Low Man” from their previous album, “The Thief and the Heartbreaker.”
Toward the end of their set, the band brought a few members from the previous two acts back on stage to sing along. The best part came when they added a second drummer for a face-melting, percussion-heavy version of “ATX” with an absolutely jaw-dropping performance from their lead guitarist Sam Kearney.
The group went off stage, but was summoned back for an encore by the persistent applause and cheers from the crowd. It was their second-to-last performance with Dead Confederate on their “DC/AC” tour, which started in Oregon and ended in New York City Tuesday.
