Houston, we are a go.

First to take the stage on Friday night at the M-Shop on the Starcruiser tour was The Catching. The Los Angeles based quartet opened the show with new songs that have yet been released. With some of the youngest musicians on the tour, The Catching had no problem catching the audience’s attention with originals and covers including “Come Together”, a classic sing-a-long by The Beatles.

Synth-infused vibrations broke through the silence as the second opening act, Royal Teeth, jumped on stage. The aesthetic sounds, backed by vocals Nora Patterson and Gary Larsen, spoke about the discovery and enjoyment of being young and wild with up-beat and dance ready energy all night.

Royal Teeth was joined on stage with the members of The Catching for their last song. Wearing giant costume heads, the group interacted with the crowd before leaving the stage. Friday night’s show at the M-Shop was the last show Royal Teeth will play on this tour.

The year is 2036 and the Milwaukee-based band Vinyl Theatre emerges from the curtains wearing space suits and narrated by a space mission voiceover.

The first two songs fly by and Vinyl Theatre start to play “The Island”. Everyone crouches on the ground and waits for the lyrics “Welcome to the island, it sets you free,” until they liftoff and jump with the band.   

For those who don’t understand all the space lingo, let me explain. Vinyl Theatre parted ways with their record label, Fueled By Ramen, last year. The trio quickly released their new and improved sound, “Starcruiser,” at the end of August.

“Starcruiser,” the third full-length album released by Vinyl Theatre, has been a journey of “self-discovery and human resilience” for all three members. The band has been sporting space suits and following a space theme on their first headlining tour.

The night ended strong with confetti guns and Vinyl Theatre’s most streamed song on Spotify, “Breaking Up My Bones”. They were joined on stage by opening acts The Catching and Royal Teeth to finish the night.   

Four years ago Vinyl Theatre played on the same stage in the M-Shop. The trio opened for Twenty-One Pilots, alongside Misterwives. Now headlining and filling up venues on their own, hopefully we won’t have to wait four more years to see them play again.