Thousands of fans poured into Houston’s Bayou Music Center Saturday night, November 12, 2022, to experience the hardcore marvel Turnstile, nearing the closing of their Love Connection tour, command the enormous venue with the kind of dynamic and intense performance that has come to define them for over a decade.
Fans were ready to rock and packed the main house wall-to-wall for over an hour before the band took to the stage. Surprise opener Teezo Touchdown, an eccentric Texan rapper who wore nails in his hair, a wedding dress, and several studded belts while singing into a bouquet of flowers, pumped the crowd up with his own songs and a cover of The Cure’s “Boys Don’t Cry.“
Turnstile walked on the stage to Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” a choice inline with an otherwise under marketed tour theme, named after their song and 2021 EP: Turnstile Love Connection, or T.L.C., and when they hit the stage the energy in the room was palpable. At times, the standing crowd became one immense mosh pit, sending some crowd surfers to the stage barrier where they were lifted out and, presumably, escorted to the exit— all looking extremely pleased notwithstanding.
Brendan Yates commanded the stage like a punk rock Freddie Mercury. There wasn’t a square foot of its surface he didn’t grace, or leap off of, or land on. He swung the mic stand in the air like the conductor of his own chaotic fandom and sang directly to them from atop the floor monitors in front of the stage. The band’s guitarists and bassist, too, were all over their sections of stage, making for a commanding and entertaining collective stage presence from the group throughout. The show rarely lost momentum and neither did the crowd, who’s elated screams could be heard before each song. The show came to a close with a confetti release and a spirited light show.
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