Emarosa has a pattern of overcoming mounds of challenges. Saturday night in Des Moines was no exception to this pattern.

Presented with an curfew and a sick lead vocalist, Emarosa still put on a great show. 

Emarosa was preceded by three other acts, none of which disappointed. Each band had an almost equal set length. This gave a vibe similar to being at a festival. 

The most noticeable difference between a music festival and the show was the intimacy, something that frontman Bradley Walden values. Vaudeville Mews is a tiny room and it wasn’t even full. This definitely added to the overall experience of the night. 

Walden was able to keep a dialogue with the whole audience throughout the whole show. 

There was one man toward the front of the crowd who reached out to shake Walden’s hand after the first song. When he did it again after the second song Walden smiled.

“Are we going to make that a thing?” Walden said. “I want you to shake my hand after every song.”

“I’ll do it,” responded the fan. “This is Iowa!”

Walden also drew on his connection with the audience by asking them to help him sing the songs because of his illness.

Despite sounding like he was losing his voice while he spoke, Walden managed to get out every song on the set very well. 

He pushed himself so hard that about half way through the set, he darted off stage and came back with a casual, “I threw up,” and immediately launched into the next song. 

It was clear that the show was a struggle for Walden, but he said the band decided against cancelling. Instead, he adopted a “the show must go on” attitude and gave the music everything he had.

He also made sure to put the fans first and make sure they ultimately had everything they wanted. He didn’t want to let them down. Due to the shorter set, Walden said they hoped to give them “… super discounted, hopefully free tickets the next time we play in Des Moines.”

Walden had very little to make up for. Emarosa was musically flawless. Even though many of the members have come into the band at different times, they played together like they have been the same group since the band’s formation. 

After the show, Walden even used what little energy he had to meet fans, take pictures, and sign merchandise and setlists. All of this he did with a genuine kindness and appreciation. 

That is the air about Emarosa: They are honest and real. Both the members of the band and the music they put out is full of truth. It’s rare to come across a band that is so willing to push through anything and be grateful for every moment of the struggle. 

Emarosa did just that on Saturday. They could have left the room sulking and disappointed. Instead, they left it full of passion and positivity.