Concert Review: Rich Aucoin Is The Bernie Sanders of Music In NYC
Yes, I just did my first “clickbait” title (lol!). Yet, it was a thought that crossed my mind as Rich Aucoin crisscrossed America on a bike to get to his NYC, Knitting Factory show. This man’s tour was, literally, a grassroots-type campaign for charities bringing light to mental health issues: Mental Health America and The Canadian Mental Health Association.
Rich Aucoin’s “down-to-earth madness” makes him a consistently, packed show. Like my man Bernie, Aucoin has been in the “game” for years, but, for some reason, he always feels recent. He is the oldest “new” artist; serving concerts that will blow your mind simply on their randomness. Sure, bring out a lightbulb and sing to it. OKAY! Have text messages pop up that sound exactly like the questions/ thoughts I have during panic attack. LOVE IT! Whip out a trumpet and blast me with confetti! I DARE YA! I already knew this man unstoppable was unstoppable when he brought out “the parachute” in elsewhere; but what makes Aucoin special is that he makes uncomfortableness feel bearable.
For all that we may cry into a pillow asking ourselves “Can I go on pretending?” …… we always do. We are taught that who we pretend to be is who we want to be and thus who we should be. Yet, Rich Aucoin unpacks the complexity of that idea and shows that mental health issues can begin through “pretending” we do not like what we like, love who we love, and are who we are. For Rich Aucoin, it is not just that we suffer from depression, but that we also deny joy. We play her off like she is “too basic” to be had, or should come more elaborately/ sophisticatedly. Hence, as a performer, Aucoin is so genuinely warm and eager to connect; he embraces the crowd like a kid welcoming his classmates to his birthday party.
We only needed birthday hats, a kiddie pool, and cake, and it would have been a Chuck E Cheese party for adults. (Note, I am sure those things were, probably, at the concert somewhere). Still, from songs “Release” to “The Dream,” my “Bernie Sanders” thought came moreso from how people interacted with Rich Aucoin. You would think he was the Frat-Party version of Eva Peron; belting out rock anthems over jungle juice and begging Argentina not to cry. Aucoin has this “X-factor” to his style that not only makes people want to know him, but makes them feel known by him. Thus, he is perfect for speaking on breaking mental health/ social barriers; people want to be led by those that know they are simply human. For More Information On Rich Aucoin And His Tour For Mental Health Awareness Click Here.
