Chicago – I’ve been sitting in Starbucks, staring at my MacBook, for about an hour, trying to figure out how to best describe what it’s like to witness Diarrhea Planet wreak havoc. There’s a whole lot of stage diving, crowdsurfing, moshing, thrashing, hair flying, hair pulling, beer tossing, sweat dripping, shouting and screaming, stage climbing, and of course, monster guitar riffs. You know, just plain old-fashioned fun! But until you’re in the thick of it, there’s no true understanding. Pitchfork once wrote: “Nashville’s Diarrhea Planet have the greatest live show on Earth.” This is so beyond true. Friday night, I witnessed it first hand, when the six-piece melted faces at Lincoln Hall in Chicago.

The band’s motto is “shred till you’re dead.” They do just that, mixing rock ‘n’ roll, heavy metal, punk, and a variety of other genres, but that’s to be expected when you have six members, right? However, Diarrhea Planet wasn’t always bursting at the seams with guitarists. Back in 2009, frontman Jordan Smith and his friends Evan P. Donohue and Casey Weissbuch made up the then trio. Eventually bassist Mike Boyle and guitarist Brent Toler joined the band. Then Donohue left in 2010, and the band added guitarists Evan Bird and Emmett Miller. A little later Weissbuch punched out, and Ian “Tuff Gus” Bush stepped in on drums. Now six members deep and two LPs in, Diarrhea Planet has grown into its sound. (Stay tuned for an upcoming interview to hear how the guys have matured as a band!) Their sophomore LP I’m Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams (Infinity Cat Recordings) brought with it praise from critics, all while Diarrhea Planet’s live shows built a buzz and grew their mighty following of “planeteers.”

Best New Bands was hip to that noise. We caught Diarrhea Planet at Bonnaroo in 2014, and just a few months later, Modern Baseball also filled us in about the band at Riot Fest in Chicago. Since then, the Nashville rockers released another EP, Aliens in the Outfield, which includes the single “Heat Wave,” and have continued to tour relentlessly.

This tour, Diarrhea Planet sold-out Chicago and packed Lincoln Hall with people ready to party. When DP started their set out with “Ghost With A Boner” – a fan favorite off their debut EP Aloha –the ground floor immediately broke into chaos. A few songs in, security tried to stop people from stage diving and crowdsurfing. Smith turned to the security guard, calmly said, “It’s okay man, let ‘em surf,” and then flashed that charming smile of his. And indeed, the Planeteers were allowed to surf. Legs and arms flailed through the night. People pushed their way to the front. The flush of people moved the monitors. Smith continually pushed his back with the stretch of a leg and kick of a foot, like a memory reflex. All in the day’s, er, night’s work, for him, I suppose.

The guys played a mix of songs old and new, including “Fauser,” “Field Of Dreams,” “Babyhead,” and “Platinum Girls.” It was glorious hearing everything in the flesh, so to say. Listening to Diarrhea Planet through earbuds is nothing compared to hearing the earcandy that comes bellowing from the stage with four guitars, four voices, and some sweet drum and bass. Then there’s the comedy. The jokes between songs, the funny faces, and the overall laidback attitude of the guys make the show even better. Things seemed to get a little serious when they slowed things down with “Kids,” but that lasted all about a minute.

People surfed all night. Photographer James Marcus Haney, the man behind No Cameras Allowed, was even spied surfing, camera in hand. Smith, Bird, and Miller also dove in and rode hands, all while strumming their guitars. Towards the end of the night, Diarrhea Planet put on one of the best covers of The Who’s “Baba O’Riley” I’ve ever seen. The only thing that would’ve made it better was if Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey were on stage with the rowdy Nashville boys. Seriously though, can someone make that happen? That would rock!

I know this review can’t possibly do justice to what it is to experience Diarrhea Planet live… but I gave it my all, just like Diarrhea Planet does every time they grace a stage.

Diarrhea Planet is closing in on the end of a spring tour. You can watch THIS VIDEO to get a taste of what a Diarrhea Planet show is like or you can just catch ‘em live! I highly suggest the latter.

Click HERE for a list of Diarrhea Planet’s tour dates, which includes the summer festivals the band is set to play, like Forecastle.

Photos of Diarrhea Planet by Sarah Hess

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Sarah Hess

At the age of six, Sarah Hess discovered True Blue by Madonna. This resulted in her spending hours in front of the bathroom mirror with a hairbrush microphone, belting out "La Isla Bonita" off key. Her love for music only intensified over the years thanks to her parents; her mother exposed Sarah to The Jackson Five and had her hustling to the Bee Gees, while her father would play her albums like 'Pet Sounds' and 'Some Girls' from start to finish, during which he'd lecture on and on about the history of rock & roll. Sarah would eventually stumble upon rap and hip-hop, then punk and alternative, and fall madly in love with Jeff Buckley and film photography.

After attending The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Sarah went on to study education at Dominican University, earning a degree in history. When not teaching, writing, or taking in a show, she is most likely to be found with a camera to her eye or hanging out in a darkroom.


You can follow Sarah Hess on twitter at @Sarahhasanh and view her music photography on her website: smhimaging.com.

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