Jeff Saurer grabbed his electric guitar, casually walked towards the mic, and paused. He glanced towards the raucous crowd and let their cheers wash over him. Slowly, a smirk inched across his face as he began to strum the guitar. “Ready?” he asked The Observatory, stuffed with over 500 people. The crowd seemed to teeter on edge before Jeff launched into one of Hippie Sabotage’s biggest hits ‘Devil Eyes.’
Displaying a mastery of crowd control, technical proficiency, and fun, the Saurer brothers – Jeff & Kevin, as Hippie Sabotage – came to Santa Ana on Saturday, October 7th to drop an exciting hour of music.
Self described as “just two brothers who make music,” their connection shines through on stage as something more than that simple label would imply. Their show can be wild at times, but it feels like a type of wild born out of necessity. Too many DJ’s or performers appear overly calculated or scripted during their sets, but the opposite is where Hippie Sabotage thrives. They revel in controlling and partying with the crowd, appearing as a sort of tag team of chaos.
The brothers take turns as DJ’s, allowing the one not actively performing to jump off the stage to mosh, crowd surf, or even smoke with their fans. They know what the crowd wants, and the energy flows freely between performer and audience member in order to create a set filled with spontaneity. There’s no telling who is about to control the decks and who is about to jump into the crowd. There’s a chance a sweat-soaked Kevin leaps into your moshpit to headbang right with you as Jeff throws down ‘Your Soul’ or ‘High Enough.’
Santa Ana probably wasn’t ready for Hippie Sabotage – but that’s how the show is designed to be. See the photo recap below.
Words by Paul Castillo. Photos by Ty Levey.
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