Mike Tompkins opened for Heffron Drive at The Altar Bar in the Strip District on September 17th and, in the end, made the show worth-while for this reviewer. Coming off of the streets into The Altar Bar, I just had this really hyped feeling. There were a ton of colored lights shining into the dark streets and the bass could be felt from a mile away.
Mike Tompkins was already playing. He is a DJ artist so he really got into it. His part of the show was really great. What Mike Tompkins is known for is making cover versions of songs, but instead of using instruments or technology he uses only sounds he makes with his mouth and puts all the sounds together to make the final product. He really did a fantastic job. It was just him with his DJ equipment and a projector screen which would show pretty random images that followed the music. The coolest part about his performance was that he would do loops of songs and make certain sounds with his mouth that would be added on to the final product of the song that we would hear. His performance was amazing, fun to see, and with the limited amount of stage banter he really got the most of his time song after song.
The headliner, Heffron Drive, came on with music that was pretty new. The stage presence was amazing,but this music though was not for dancing. They would stop pretty much after every song, talk to the crowd, get a drink, and then play again. It really seemed like Kendall was trying to be like Justin Timberlake with his emotions and how he sings. Overall, the performance wasn’t too bad.
I would totally recommend seeing Mike Tompkins if you like to dance. He made the environment fun and made it a party. He created a club-like atmosphere, and he really looked like he enjoyed it. Heffron Drive ft. Kendall Schmidt is not my favorite type of music. It is more direct towards teen girls and it’s nothing you can really dance to. It was usually a softer kind of rock, so it was more music just for the sake of listening to. The overall performance was amazing and his music was centered more around the pop tunes we like to hear and dance to while still adding his own flare to the music. I would definitely go see Mike Tompkins if you ever have the chance.