Innlet Brings The Willow Tree Tour Back Home to the Jersey Shore
It was a perfect summer day at Asbury Park: a light breeze, some clouds to shade you from the beaming sun, and Innlet headlining Asbury Lanes. The month of August often feels like summer is fading away and responsibilities are creeping back in, but this show wiped away that haze and brought you right back to the freeing energy of summer.
On Friday, August 14th, Innlet brought their “Willow Tree Tour” back home to the Jersey Shore with support from Her Side of the Bed and Surfhaven. Innlet, consisting of Levi Miller (vocals, guitar), Max Dirocco (drums), Matt Hietzmann (guitar), Dylan Skorge (bass), and Hugh Brennan (trombone), is an indie rock band from Long Beach Island that blends surf, jazz, and rock into a musical explosion of sound that has you dancing for hours.
Her Side of the Bed and Surfhaven kept the crowd moving from start to finish, building the energy and anticipation for Innlet to follow. As Innlet took the stage, the crowd roared in excitement. They opened with their recent single, “Willow Tree,” a beautiful blend of their higher-energy songs like “Yesteryear” and more lyrical songs such as “Black Horse Lake.” Miller’s vocals hit you immediately, and you can’t help but fall in love with Innlet.
Innlet keeps the energy high and plays “Escargo” third in the set. This song erupts into a high-energy musical arrangement that ends with an electrifying guitar solo by Hietzmann. They then bring it down mid-set and play “Black Horse Lake” and a cover of “Pool House,” with the crowd shouting every lyric back to them. Both songs carry such emotional depth and a storyline you can’t help but feel as the whole venue unifies as one.
The energy stays high for the rest of the set, with hits like “Pawn” and “Fly Swatter,” plus an unreleased song, “Force Fed,” as fans jump up and down and never get tired. They then cover “F**ck You” by Ceelo Green, and the crowd goes even crazier. Miller sets down his guitar and runs around the stage, showing his love for his bandmates and the crowd.
There is not one moment where there is any doubt how much everyone in the band loves what they do. The band’s chemistry is out of this world, and the pure joy that radiates off them is infectious.
They closed their set with “This Winter” before coming out for an encore of "Tongue Tied” by GROUPLOVE. The end of this set felt so nostalgic and bittersweet, and you couldn't help but smile at everyone around you. Nobody in the venue felt like a stranger by the end of the night. The love in the room was blooming, and it felt so special to be a part of it.
The “Willow Tree Tour” may be over, but more music is to follow soon!! It will always feel like summer when Innlet is playing, and if you didn’t catch them on this tour, you will have to be patient and wait for the next one because seeing them live is an absolute must.
