Thursday Oct. 9, Boone welcomed The Runarounds, translating their performances from the silver screen to the stage at Boone Saloon.
Forming in 2021, The Runarounds gained a larger following this September with the production of a television series of the same name directed by Jonas Pater, the creator behind “Outer Banks.”
The series is loosely based on the band that formed four years prior to the show’s premiere, interpolating real events from the band members lives into the storyline.
Based in Wilmington, a throughline of the series is the characters’ establishment of a band during their senior year of high school, facing the decision of whether or not to weave into the twisted tapestry of the music industry.
Within the crowd of college students stood Tayloe Harding. The dean of the University of South Carolina School of Music recalled having a similar endeavor almost 50 years ago with his high school band, Phoenix.
“We played all these dances and we got really good at playing covers for the dances and then we wrote our own songs,” Harding said.
Harding said the group went on to open for successful acts such as Jimmy Buffett and Pure Prairie League, eventually facing a significant challenge surrounding the longevity of their career.
“We came to the end of our senior year and we didn’t know what we were going to do. Three of us knew we were going to go to college, all three of the seniors, and there were two younger guys in the band,” Harding said. “The gigs were all over and the band was going to break up and we said we can’t do this.”
While the story is a bit different for The Runarounds, both stories tackle the weight of adolescent dreams and their proximity to the foundations of one’s artistic career.
The Runarounds have taken the success of their television series with them on the road, with Boone marking its ninth stop on “The Minivan Tour.”
Following the supporting act William Wild, The Runarounds began taking the stage when Jeremy Yun, one of the band’s guitarists, approached the mic saying, “Let’s play a show.” The band erupted alongside the crowd into their song “Ghosts,” following straight into the track “Cellophane.”
From Canadian tuxedos to humorous jokes to entertain the crowd, the band’s stage presence is nothing short of what Boone locals are familiar with, replicating the small town indie-rock persona with ease.
“This is our first headlining tour and we get to play all these shows and come to Boone,” said guitarist and vocalist William Lipton. “Will you guys rock?”
The inclusion of a tour date in Boone was specifically special to those who watched the show, and primarily Lipton’s character, Charlie Cooper.
When faced with the fictional decision to pursue the band’s career or attend college, Cooper inevitably refrains from attending App State — a small nod to a small town, where they would headline their own show as a real band six weeks following the show’s premiere.
Although his character did not end up attending App State in the series, Lipton still found his way to the microphone halfway through the set to say “Roll ‘Neers” while raising the hand gesture for “rock on.”
The evening’s setlist spanned over 15 tracks and featured numerous titles from the series as well as an unreleased track titled “Crossroads.”
These performances consisted of countless guitar solos, where members of the band would trade off taking the lead and rhythm guitar parts.
The band’s style of musical performance spreads beyond the standards of rock ‘n roll, swinging to the other end of the pendulum with a jazzy intro to their song “Funny How The Universe Works.”
Sliding across a blues scale with sparse drums and a groovy bass line, The Runarounds’ penultimate piece of their performance was a cover of “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse, closing with their original song “Senior Year.”
Leaving the stage following a selfie with the audience, the band dispersed backstage to reappear minutes later with an encore. No Gen Z rock band’s performance would be complete without the new-wave classic “Kilby Girl” by The Backseat Lovers, which is precisely how The Runarounds left the audience.
While The Runarounds have had an untraditional road to success, their de
dication and love of music is apparent with their infectious performances.
Harding still reunites and plays with his high school band every five years, stating that he occasionally wants to drop everything and run back to the stage. Quoting a line from the show, Harding commends their dedication to the music.
“You know what Charlie says in the show ‘it’s about the music,’” Harding said. “As long as it stays about the music there’s always something important to get from it. If it’s always about the music, you’ll always find a way to make music.”
