Audience members probably didn’t know they were going to leave The Nines last Friday night in a hot sweat. But The Blind Spots’ energy made it impossible for the crowd to keep from moving.

The Blind Spots’ lead vocalist Maddy Walsh was the first person to excite the audience. Walsh, with her charming smile, stepped up to the microphone during the sound check and released a surprisingly strong voice.

For the opening, an informal group consisting of Walsh; guitarist Mike Suave; Walsh’s father, Ted; and steel guitarist Gary Phelps played an entirely acoustic set. The four provided a comfortable and rambling mix of country, blues and calypso-jazz. Suave and Walsh layered their pitch-perfect harmonies in a way that made people turn their chairs

toward the crowded stage and listen intently. The once-boisterous chatter typical of any Friday-night bar subsided, and the audience quickly became captivated.

Considering the length and the effort the musicians put into the first act, the opening 45 minutes could have easily been confused for the main act. With so much energy, it was easy to question just how the young vocalist and her bandmates could survive an entire night of rock ‘n’ roll.

The full band joined Walsh and Suave on the stage an hour later, completing the five-member band, The Blind Spots. As soon as bassist Khris Oursher, keyboardist David Openshaw and drummer Jeff Turback stepped onto the crowded stage, the music took a rowdy turn. The band kicked out jams with an appealing intensity that was both alarming and refreshing.

The Blind Spots immediately started playing and quickly broke the calm atmosphere with a mixture of rock and blues that had people dancing, heads nodding and a few more rounds of drinks going around.

Within a span of seconds, Walsh, once crooning with the sweet country style of Dolly Parton, dropped the act and suddenly transformed into something close to Jim Morrison. Her brown hair flew wildly in front of her face, and her vocals loosened as she ripped through the set list.  

The songs borrowed tones from Jack White, Wilco, Canned Heat and Stevie Ray Vaughn. However, thanks to the quirky and endearing lyrics, the audience could be sure that they had never heard the songs before. This was certainly not just what some might call “a rock band with a chick lead singer.” The calm rock version of “Cannibals are Carpooling” and the hilarious country-tinged-rock “Adelade” — a song describing a sexually promiscuous, Adderall-snorting milkmaid — proved Walsh can really rock.    

In the third and final set, the band began to tire. Like a boxer battered and bruised in the final round, the band continued to slug on for another hour-long set, dragging the remaining audience to its feet for a final weary boogie in front of the stage. Despite the obvious declining energy, band members fought on, unwilling to concede to the dwindling audience or their sore fingers and vocal chords. They simply took another sip of beer and threw themselves into the next song. With the final blaring chord, no one called for an encore and everyone, including the band, headed for the nearest exit.      

Shows like this can make or break a band that is still getting on its feet. After this successful show, it is certain that The Blind Spots will want to revisit Collegetown again. And when they do return, the crowd can expect another high-octane show. After all, good music is fun — but good live music is even better.   

The Blind Spots will perform at 10 p.m. April 24 at The Nines in Collegetown.