Review: Andy Frasco & The U.N @ Paradise Rock Club 3/1

Review By: Olivia Valera

Photography credits: Courtesy of Tell All Your Friends PR

I stood awkwardly at the back of the room, compressed into the mass of people waiting to watch Andy Frasco and the U.N. play to the hordes of Boston on their “Try Not to Die” tour. Millennial couples donned colorful merch encouraging you to “take it as it goes.” The lyric is a throwback to “Somedays” from their 2019 album “Change of Pace,” and the song opened my world to their music. I felt hesitant, I was trying to avenge myself for missing a show they played several years ago because I couldn’t find anyone to go with. Here I was, alone again and none the wiser. The opener, Mihali, took the stage with its laid-back reggaeton beat and the warm hum of trumpet and saxophone. The audience’s shocking amount of 2010’s glitter and tye-dye matching their flannel-draped counterparts would make Amy Carlson’s clan burn with jealousy. Despite the cold outside, the lyrics invoked imagery of summer sunshine and tropical beaches which did not ease the sweaty constriction of bodies packed beneath the set.

From the darkness, Andy Frasco and the U.N. emerged, dancing their way onstage to Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5.” They switched into a heavy jam of their song “Crazy Things,” which was released earlier this month. The guitarist, Shawn Eckels, got right into action, swinging his long hair and flipping off the people in the balcony above—later quipping that they were probably all from Nantucket, and simply were too good (rich) to be on the ground with the rest of us. The burn of the electric guitar seared beneath Frasco’s vocal refrain with such violent energy, it left the feeling that this band wasn’t just on ecstasy, they were ecstasy. The band grooved their way into a smooth transition of “The Walk,” with a nasty saxophone riff echoing Frasco’s encouragement that we get the party started. With an upright piano that mechanically lifted its top onto a stage, with neon green light emanating from the belly of the beast, band members used it as a makeshift platform that showcased vibrant solos performed with maniacal glee. The room grew thick with the moisture of any good dive bar, filling Paradise with the kind of rock it was made to have slamming against its walls.

At one of several pauses between the music, Frasco told the crowd that Boston’s strength lies in its refusal to take shit from anyone. The way a kid learns to say ‘please’ to ask for things they want, so too is it that Frasco learned to say ‘suck it from the back’ in Boston. The sound of laughter was swiftly swallowed up by “Try Not to Die,” a laudable goal for a Lakers fan in a sea of Celtics gear.

Many of the songs they played were singles released ahead of their new album “Growing Pains,” which comes out in May of 2025. The band took another break to offer up the good news that they had just recently signed with their first major record label. Felicitations were capped with a swig of Jameson straight from the bottle. As is apparently common practice at their shows, the band brought on additional musicians who layered in fiddle and saxophone to the already heavily textured sound. As the night raged on, band members could be seen asking for tiny tweaks from the soundboard—a necessary, and delightful sight which balanced out their sound as they moved through their versatile set list. The metallic puff sleeves of the violinist held shape as the instrument swung across the stage. The only person truly able to match the chaotic energy was the guitarist, who similarly had pale skin tattooed all the way up both arms. Glimpses of inky shapes melded into one violent and magnificent creature as they both rocked out beneath the lights.

The last official song on their setlist was “Everything Bagel,” a silly, romantic piece about the ways we show affection, even if it means giving up the top half of your favorite bagel. They played a lengthy post-show, bringing back out Mihali’s members to populate the already crammed-up stage. Frasco also encouraged a criminally good battle of the band in which he pitted members against each other, directly resulting in some incredibly fun solos on saxophone and guitar. 

Finally, they played “Somedays” as an encore. With how entertaining the show was, and distracted by dancing the Horah with strangers in the crowd, I sort of forgot they hadn’t yet played it. Frasco told the audience that his mother had been diagnosed with cancer last year, bringing up memories of my own struggle through that particularly difficult situation. The room filled with tender vocals, and I knew that the next time Andy Frasco and the U.N. were in town, having someone to go with was not a concern because once I was there, I would not be alone.