Sauntering onto the stage with the flamboyant confidence of Freddie Mercury and all the saunter of a cowboy headed to a gunfight, Neon Trees’ Tyler Glenn took Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl hostage for a night of 2000s nostalgia and modern pop-rock charm. The band drew a diverse crowd of people from the ages of 18 to nearly 70, capitalizing on the wide appeal and increasingly common current fad with naughties culture and trends. Though not quite the affair of local favorite “Emo Night,” Neon Trees tapped into the same nostalgia and added the additional element of brand new music. Though not the default, many fans amongst the crowd could be seen singing along to every word of every song from their oft-played anthem “Everybody Talks” all the way through their deep cut laden 2024 release “Sink Your Teeth.” It is rare to find a band with one giant song who can continue to make music and have success beyond it in the same scope as Neon Trees. There are probably not more than 100 adults in America who don’t know their monster success that “started with a whisper.” What few people may know is the personal story and connection behind the Glenn-penned lyrics.
Though the up-tempo dance beat and uber catchy chorus gives the impression of a good time, the real story is deeper than that. As a gay man coming from a Mormon background, Glenn regaled the room with his story of a somewhat slighted ex-girlfriend who spread the news around town of his true sexuality. Speaking on this Tyler said that she “didn’t have any evidence but she was right.” Defying the odds of becoming a dated “one-hit wonder,” Neon Trees have gone on to have success with enough additional mainstream hits to remain relevant long after their initial fame. With 2025 marking 20 years of the band, the end is nowhere in sight for these hitmakers. They perform with all of the gusto and chemistry that is to be expected of such veterans, sporting a female drummer, double guitars, and a bass player with sideburns that could make a disco king blush. The image, the sound, the hits, and most importantly: the music. These pop-rockers have it all and they know how to use it until the day “everybody talks” about the one and only: Neon Trees.
- Harrison Eason
Photos Courtesy of Kylie Hoover (For Bell Music Magazine)
