The Greeting Committee’s upcoming show will be big, but still personal

The Greeting Committee on tour. // Photo by Sophia Ragomo

After a month on the road, The Greeting Committee will finish their headlining tour with a finale at The Uptown April 9. The band has grown exponentially since their last tour in 2019—they added a second night in Denver and upgraded a few other venues thanks to a major increase in ticket sales.

Addie Sartino, lead singer of The Greeting Committee, says being back on the road brought their sophomore album, Dandelion, to life. 

“To be able to physically see the growth and development we’ve had since 2019 was really nice. We doubled, in some cities even tripled, our crowd size from our last headline tour,” Sartino says. “We’re just really grateful for that and to see people actually singing and dancing to the Dandelion record. That’s what makes an album feel real—it was really rewarding.”

Every stop on The Greeting Committee’s tours has its own personality. The band members always look forward to visiting cities that feel like a second home and marking the changes in others. Sartino says Philadelphia, where the band played World Cafe Live Feb. 12 this go around, was poorly attended in 2019. This year, it was one of the first cities to sell out. 

It’s a similar story in Austin, Texas, where the band sold 500 tickets after switching venues. On their 2019 tour, they played a venue that held 110 people.

Sartino singing on tour. // Photo by Sophia Ragomo

“Getting to play the Troubadour in LA was a milestone—that was special. The Hall at Elsewhere in Brooklyn, New York was a really fun, awesome venue to be at,” says Sartino.

Though Sartino loves playing those cities, nothing compares to her love of a hometown show.

“​​I think there’s definitely hometown bias. I go to shows here, as a fan, and sometimes I’m like, ‘wow, we’re really lucky,’” Sartino says. “What really excites me about these hometown shows is the word spread of how awesome they are. There’s been a lot of people buying tickets to The Uptown show that are not from Kansas City. People from Toronto, Chicago, New York, LA—crazy distances. I think that couldn’t happen in another city. Kansas City Greeting Committee fans are on a whole other level of kindness and compassion and so welcoming. It’s just really special. I think that we don’t fully understand how unique that is, so we’re very grateful for it.”

Another reason The Greeting Committee loves touring is the opportunity it gives them to platform new artists and join bands they admire on stage. The Brazen Youth and Oston opened for the band at seven and 12 stops on the tour, respectively. 

Brandon Yangmi playing guitar on tour. // Photo by Sophia Ragomo

“The Brazen Youth was so goofy and so wonderful. Peyton [The Greeting Committee’s manager] manages them as well. There was kind of this family feeling, and also this level of knowing you’re gonna get a band who is kind, humble, and has their head on straight because Peyton implements that a lot,” Sartino says. “Oston was just electric. A phenomenal performer and frontwoman with her backing band—a really all-around awesome person to tour with.”

Raffaella will join The Greeting Committee at their upcoming show as they finish their tour in the 1,700 capacity venue. Sartino says she has admired the performer for a long time and hopes the Kansas City crowd does as well.

“I’m really excited for Kansas City to wrap their arms around Raffaella because she’s just such an amazing friend of mine and I am really excited for her and all that’s to come,” says Sartino. “She recently released a single called ‘BLONDE’ and has more music coming out. It’s really nice to get to share a stage with someone as their friend and also such a big fan.”

The Greeting Committee has a zero-tolerance policy for any form of harassment and will have a hotline people can use at The Uptown show if they’re feeling unsafe. Keeping fans safe is part of a relationship Sartino takes seriously—the other is delivering a memorable show. Sartino says she and the band put a lot of effort into making sure each show is better than the last. 

Pierce Turcotte playing bass on tour. // Photo by Sophia Ragomo

“I love theatrics onstage. I love getting to put on a show and what that means to me. I sit there and dream about what those shows look like and what I want to portray and what I want it to feel like, so I think it gets bigger,” Sartino says. “You can have it be big and still be personal.”

The April 9 show is a homecoming and major finale all in one. It will be nearly double the size of any other stop on tour, and the energy is sure to be palpable. Fans can expect a night of scream-singing, befriending other audience members, and interacting with the band during. Sartino even promises something extra for those that line up early.

“We have plans to make that show very special. We’re really fortunate and grateful for the people that line up early. So we’re trying to find ways to reward them and make it a full day experience,” says Sartino. 

The Greeting Committee’s concert at The Uptown will begin at 8 p.m. Saturday. Remaining tickets start at $25 and are available through Ticketmaster.